Time Masters
A stranded child and an interstellar rescuer become entwined in a haunting, time-bending journey across a hostile alien world.
Overview
A young boy stranded on a hostile planet must rely on a distant friend to survive and escape.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- surreal
- eerie
- wistful
- late night animation viewing
- science fiction film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a striking and imaginative work of animated science fiction, praised for its visual invention and unusual temporal storytelling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The rescue mission's relationship to time travel and the film's time-loop premise transforms who the characters understand themselves to be.
Perdide's desert landscape, giant hornets, and strange planetary life create an otherworldly visual and emotional environment.
Piel is a young survivor alone on an alien planet while Jaffar crosses space to reach him.
René Laloux's French-language production uses elliptical storytelling, unusual designs, and time-loop concepts associated with European art animation.
Films like Time Masters, and why
Fantastic Planet
surreal animated science fiction adventure with imaginative alien worlds and a child-centered emotional core
The Secret of NIMH
animated space adventure combining cosmic wonder, eccentric designs, and darker themes beneath a family-accessible surface
La Jetée
philosophical science fiction involving time, identity, and emotionally resonant speculative storytelling
Wizards
visually inventive animated fantasy adventure shaped by peril, wonder, and unusual world-building
Movie Details
- Director
- René Laloux
- Release Date
- 1982-03-24
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (200)
Cast
- Jean Valmont
- Michel Elias
- Frédéric Legros
- Yves-Marie Maurin
- Monique Thierry
- Sady Rebbot
- Patrick Baujin
- Pierre Tourneur
- Alain Cuny
- Yves Brainville
Common questions
- What is Time Masters about?
- A stranded child and an interstellar rescuer become entwined in a haunting, time-bending journey across a hostile alien world.
- What is Time Masters like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Time Masters as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Time Masters violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Time Masters as mild.
- What did critics think of Time Masters?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a striking and imaginative work of animated science fiction, praised for its visual invention and unusual temporal storytelling.
- Which films are like Time Masters?
- Films with a similar feel include Fantastic Planet, The Secret of NIMH, La Jetée, and Wizards.
- How long is Time Masters?
- Time Masters runs 80 minutes.
