Between Deaf Crocodile and now Janus Films (the American distributors of this 1982 film), it feels like old European sci-fi animated movies are back in vogue. "The Time Masters" was given a limited theatrical re-release for its restoration, and it makes for a fitting evening at your local run-down independent theatre. It has some pedigree to it: it's directed by Rene Laloux (best known for "Fantastic Planet"), and was co-created with Moebius (famed sci-fi and comic artist who, among other things, designed the visuals for "Tron"). However, you'd have to be very forgiving to fully appreciate what "The Time Masters" has to offer.It starts with a grim scenario: on the dangerous planet Perdide, an adult man crashes a land-bound vehicle trying to escape local alien beasts. He demands to his young son Piel (who looks maybe six years of age) to flee and hide in the nearby forests, shooting at him to have him run off, sparing him from the realization that he (the father) and the boy's mother die in the accident. Before his death, a message is sent to trusted fried Jaffar. Jaffar and his crew (including an exiled alien prince with malicious intent) receive the message and connect to Piel's radio. They can direct him to food and water, but need to be patient (as a young child, Piel thinks the radio's name is Mike and is talking to him). Meanwhile, with the help of a wise elderly man Silbad, they plan the day's trip to reach Perdide to save the boy, if he survives until then.The new trailers for the movie are a little misleading - they make it seem like they have to guide Piel across the alien landscape, which could make for a thrilling adventure. But no... they tell him to stay put in the forest. The boy even grows bored and wants to leave, but doesn't get the chance to wander very far. There are some cute interactions with one or two mischievous alien animals, but otherwise his arc is a bit of a bore. On the opposite spectrum, Jaffar is like Han Solo or Buck Rogers, the classic handsome exploring astronaut to save the day. But they take a long time to do it... they casually hang out at Silbad's beautiful home for a few days while preparing for the trip, rather than, you know, rushing to reach the child that's left all alone!? Perhaps the strangest thing is how wildly off-course Jaffar's plot goes while getting to Perdide. Without fully spoiling things, they end up saving a planet of slaves from a bizarre religious cult. I guess it was an interesting tangent, but feels like it should have been a completely separate film on its own. These strange story choices help make the otherwise mellow tone of the movie stand out, and perhaps be a good choice for someone under the influence. The most interesting thing of the story is the twist ending, where "The Time Masters" finally appear, but there's otherwise no reference to them until the final minutes of the movie... again, it's like the production team was making things up as they went along. 
You have to forgive older animation to an extent, but even so, this simply doesn't age well. Visually, there are some inspired designs for the environments, and the cuter comic-relief characters are fun to look at, but the human characters are bland. In motion, most of it looks like a bad Hanna-Barbera cartoon (in one particularly cheap shot, my audience even laughed at the low-effort animation effort). The French acting and synth score are in-line with the tone of the production, but are a missed opportunity to make a bigger impact."The Time Masters" is an obscure film, and having now seen it, I can understand why - there's not much reason to seek it out. It's best for a limit audience (which does exist) of old-school science fiction fans, or animation fans who want to see the texture of the painted backgrounds on the screen. They woud love this. For others like me, they'll be left scratching their heads and wondering how they can get their time back.