Photo of Rafael Motamayor

Rafael Motamayor

15 articles published · Writing since November 17, 2025

Rafael Motamayor is a freelance writer specializing in animation and genre filmmaking. He's written for The New York Times, IndieWire, Vulture, Variety, and IGN. He resides in Norway.

Favorite Netflix Originals

Bojack Horseman Midnight Mass Cobra Kai
‘Haunted Hotel’ Season 2 Delivers Frights, Laughs, And A Lot Of Heart Rafael Motamayor 3 min read What To Watch on Netflix

‘Haunted Hotel’ Season 2 Delivers Frights, Laughs, and a Lot of Heart

The animated comedy pays off some mysteries, expands its worldbuilding, and gives Nathan some much-needed focus.

‘Steel Ball Run: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’ Episodes 2-3 Review Rafael Motamayor 4 min read What To Watch on Netflix

‘Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ Episodes 2-3 Review

A thrilling set of episodes that showcase what makes this a special show worth paying attention to.

‘Blue Box’ Season 2 Premiere Finally Delivers On That Massive Cliffhanger Rafael Motamayor 3 min read What To Watch on Netflix

‘Blue Box’ Season 2 Premiere Finally Delivers on That Massive Cliffhanger

The premiere sees Taiki and Chinatsu on a date, and things actually go (mostly) right.

Netflix’s ‘Lego One Piece’ Specials Are A Fun But Safe Appetizer For Season 3 Rafael Motamayor 3 min read What To Watch on Netflix

Netflix’s ‘LEGO One Piece’ Specials Are a Fun But Safe Appetizer for Season 3

The animated special serves as a good way to refresh your memory before season 3 of the live-action…

5 Lego Animated Specials We Need After ‘Lego One Piece’ Rafael Motamayor 6 min read What To Watch on Netflix

5 LEGO Animated Specials We Need After ‘LEGO One Piece’

We got LEGO pirates, now let's get ready for the next Netflix Original that should get the same…

‘Steps’ Directors On How Their Unique Fairy Tale Movie Evolved Throughout Production And Stopped Being A Musical Rafael Motamayor 5 min read Interviews

‘Steps’ Directors on How Their Unique Fairy Tale Movie Evolved Throughout Production and Stopped Being a Musical

We talked to Alyce Tzue and John Ripa about not making a musical when Bette Midler is in…

‘The Ribbon Hero’ Movie Review: Osamu Tezuka’s Classic Manga Gets Animated Update With A Wild Final Act Rafael Motamayor 3 min read What To Watch on Netflix

‘The Ribbon Hero’ Movie Review: Osamu Tezuka’s Classic Manga Gets Animated Update With a Wild Final Act

The new adaptation of ‘Princess Knight’ suffers from poor pacing and being too long, but its riff on…

‘The Ribbon Hero’ Director On Updating ‘Princess Knight’ For A New Generation In New Netflix Anime Film Rafael Motamayor 5 min read Interviews

‘The Ribbon Hero’ Director On Updating ‘Princess Knight’ For a New Generation in New Netflix Anime Film

We sat down with director Yuki Igarashi at the Annecy Film Festival to discuss Netflix’s upcoming anime movie…

More stories

‘I Am Frankelda’ Directors Talk The Challenges Of Making Mexico’s First Stop-Motion Feature Film Rafael Motamayor 6 min read Interviews

‘I Am Frankelda’ Directors Talk The Challenges of Making Mexico’s First Stop-Motion Feature Film

Roy and Arturo Ambriz break down the 22-feet long creature that caused most challenges and the beauty of…

‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2 Ending Explained: Do Dante And Vergil Stop The End Of The World? Rafael Motamayor 4 min read Netflix News

‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2 Ending Explained: Do Dante and Vergil Stop the End of the World?

The second season of the video game adaptation raises the stakes and sets up a massive war.

Adi Shankar Breaks Down ‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2, Vergil’S Arrival, And Future Story Arcs Rafael Motamayor 5 min read Interviews

Adi Shankar Breaks Down ‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2, Vergil’s Arrival, and Future Story Arcs

Adi Shankar spills the beans on season 2 and how long he wants the show to go on…

One Piece Showrunner Joe Tracz Shares The Most Important Note Eiichiro Oda Had For Season 2 Rafael Motamayor 8 min read Interviews

One Piece Showrunner Joe Tracz Shares the Most Important Note Eiichiro Oda Had For Season 2

Joe Tracz talks about changing the manga and fighting to keep the fantastical creatures in.

Martial T. Batchamen Opens Up About Playing Brook In ‘One Piece’ Season 2 Rafael Motamayor 6 min read Interviews

Martial T. Batchamen Opens Up About Playing Brook in ‘One Piece’ Season 2

Martial T. Batchamen talks about bringing Brook’s iconic laugh to life and singing ‘Bink’s Brew.’

‘Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’ S4 Ending Explained: Do The Nublar Six Make It Out Alive? Rafael Motamayor 4 min read Netflix News

‘Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’ S4 Ending Explained: Do the Nublar Six Make It Out Alive?

The final season of the animated series puts the kids in mortal danger.

Showrunner Scott Kreamer Talks Fourth And Final Season Of ‘Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’ Rafael Motamayor 6 min read Netflix News Interviews

Showrunner Scott Kreamer Talks Fourth and Final Season of ‘Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’

A deep-dive into the making of the final season of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, concluding character arcs and…