Part of Restoration Roundup
Directed by visionary science-fiction animator Rene´ Laloux (FANTASTIC PLANET) and designed by the legendary Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Mœbius) THE TIME MASTERS is a visually fantastic foray into existentialist space adventure. After his parents are killed on the dangerous planet Perdide, young Piel (voiced by Fre´de´ric Legros) survives by maintaining radio contact with Jaffar (Jean Valmont), a pilot transporting the exiled Prince Matton (Yves-Marie Maurin) and Princess Belle (Monique Thierry) from their former kingdom. Jaffar seeks the help of Silbad (Michel Elias), a cheerful old-timer who knows how to circumvent Perdide’s hazards, including its brain-devouring insects and watery graves. Along the way, Jaffar and company encounter a pair of impish homunculi stowaways, identity-less angels controlled by an amorphous hive mind, and the Masters of Time, mysterious beings who can bend reality and perhaps reveal to the heroes their secret origins and destinies.
Restored in 4K in 2023 at the initiative of CITE FILMS in collaboration with the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna and with the support of the CNC (National French Cinema Board)
“Continues to be a must-see classic in the sci-fi animation canon.” —Amid Amidi, Cartoon Brew
“René Laloux’s conformity-challenging animated sci-fi THE TIME MASTERS resonates with Hayao Miyazaki films and Jack Vance novels.” —Michael Barrett, Pop Matters