Roy del espacio

Roy del espacio (English: Roy of Space or Roy from Space) is a 1983 Mexican animated science fiction film produced and directed by Hector López Carmona, Rafael Ángel Gil and Ulises Pérez Aguirre.^[1] Produced from 1979 to 1982,^[1] it is one of the first feature-length Mexican animated films ever made.^[2][3] Roy del espacio premiered on 3 March 1983, playing in several theatres in Mexico.^[1]

Roy del espacio
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Héctor López Carmona Rafael Ángel Gil Ulises Pérez Aguirre
Music by	Ernesto Cortázar
Release date	3 March 1983 (1983-03-03)
Running time	63 minutes
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish

Retrospective reviews of Roy del espacio have referred to it as "an example of artistic ineptitude"^[4] and "a real disaster".^[5] It is now considered a lost film; only still images from the film are known to survive.^[6]

Plot

The movie follows the titular character Roy, who, along with Dr. Faz and psychologist Elena, travels to a distant planet and faces an evil emperor who wants to conquer the Earth.^[7][8] Upon arriving on Mars, Roy and his friends are captured by Alome’s robots. With the help of Alome’s daughter, the Princess, they manage to escape. Roy takes over a spaceship and, along with Prince Leo, they work together to defeat Alome. The adventure includes robot fights, space battles, and even a bit of romance.^[9]

Cast

• José Chorena as Trax
• Guillermo Coria as a soldier
• Juan Domingo Méndez as Trix
• Arturo Fernández as a scientist
• Patricia Martínez as a princess
• Rommy Mendoza as Helena
• Rubén Moya as King Alome
• Salvador Nájar as Roy
• Esteban Siller as Dr. Faz
• Álvaro Tarcisio as Prince Leo
• Braulio Zertuche as a scientist^[10]

Reception

Criticism

Roy del espacio premiered in 12 theaters and cinemas in Mexico City on March 3, 1983, but was quickly withdrawn from exhibition due to poor public acceptance.^[11] There are no reviews made at the time of its premiere, but retrospective critics classified it as "an example of artistic ineptitude", and called it "a real disaster". The film was also criticized for its excessive use of clichés about science fiction and its low level of animation, with very rudimentary drawings and rough movements; in addition, there were complaints about the plagiarism of Flash Gordon, whose 1936 film serial were traced frames to use them as a basis for Roy's characters and scenes.^[12]

See also

• Turkish Star Wars
• List of lost films

References

1. Amador, María Luisa; Blanco, Jorge Ayala (2007). Cartelera cinematografica, 1980–1989 (in Spanish). National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). ISBN 978-970-32-3605-3. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
2. Riera, Emilio García; Macotela, Fernando (1984). La guía del cine mexicano de la pantalla grande a la televisión, 1919-1984 (in Spanish). Editorial Patria. p. 269. ISBN 968-39-0029-1. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022. Largometraje de dibujos animados, cuarto en la historia del cine mexicano.
3. "México se anima con Magos y Gigantes". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 17 November 2003. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
4. Vargas, Juan Carlos (2008). "Roy del Espacio". Historia de la producción cinematográfica mexicana, 1979-1980 (in Spanish). Guadalajara: Universidad de Guadalajara. p. 176. ISBN 978-970-27-1400-2.
5. Aurrecoechea, Juan Manuel (2004). El episodio perdido: Historia del cine mexicano de animación (in Spanish). Mexico City: Cineteca Nacional. p. 91. ISBN 978-968-785-487-8.
6. Leal, Carlos (2022). El Caricaturiscopio (in Spanish). Grijalbo (Penguin Random House). ISBN 978-607-319-432-7. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
7. Anuario cinematográfico (in Spanish). Filmoteca UNAM. 1984. p. 19. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
8. Schmelz, Itala (2006). El futuro más acá: Cine Mexicano de ciencia ficción (in Spanish). Conaculta-Inb. ISBN 978-9685893411.
9. Roy del espacio (1983) - Plot - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-09-25 – via www.imdb.com.
10. "Reparto Completo de Roy del espacio (Cine.com)". cine.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-25.
11. Amador, María Luisa; Blanco, Jorge Ayala (2006). Cartelera cinematográfica, 1980-1989 (in Spanish). UNAM. ISBN 978-970-32-3605-3.
12. Charris, Alejandro Vidal (2023-06-30). ""Un atrevido experimento": visión general de Roy del Espacio (1979-1983)". El ojo que piensa. Revista de cine iberoamericano // e-ISSN: 2007-4999 (in Spanish) (26): 77–90. doi:10.32870/elojoquepiensa.v0i26.398. ISSN 2007-4999.

External links

• Roy del espacio at IMDb