Completely lost for over 40 years and only the 3rd animated feature ever produced in Mexico, ROY FROM SPACE has finally returned, newly scanned from the original 35mm negative and lovingly restored by Deaf Crocodile! The only feature made by noted titles and commercials animator Héctor López Carmona, ROY is a wildly entertaining work of Outsider / Sci-Fi Animation, loosely inspired (ahem) by the classic 1930s Flash Gordon serials. “I’m Roy from Space. I come from Earth,” our helmet-wearing hero announces with a straight face (note: he never takes off his helmet, indoors or outdoors), and we follow as he fights a nonstop stream of synthesizer-voiced robots and flying saucers in the service of wicked Ming-the-Merciless clone “King Alome” while fending off the king’s hot-blooded daughter.

Produced over the course of 3 years, often with the help of non-professional animators, ROY features an incredibly strange and disorienting Outsider Animation style, à la DELTA SPACE MISSION: faces and body parts constantly shift, expanding and contracting without warning; bodies and feet don’t seem connected to floors or walls; characters tumble through space like a Merce Cunningham modern dance piece. In other words, it’s a blast. Working with the daughter of original producer Ulises Pérez Aguirre, Deaf Crocodile was able to locate the 35mm film elements at the Cineteca Nacional in Mexico, but were shocked to discover 4-1/2 minutes of live-action footage had been slugged into the film from a Japanese sci-fi movie without permission. Independent animators Isabelle Aspin and Brian Smee were brought in to replace this bootleg footage, creating new 2-D animation using the cel-painted style and feel of the original. Featuring a groove-a-delic synth-laden score by Ernesto Cortazar and the voices of Salvador Nájar, Patricia Martínez and Rubén Moya. In Spanish with English subtitles.

For thoughts on Roy from Space, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Roy from Space debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a restoration of the 35mm Original Camera Negative by Deaf Crocodile. There is a very good chance you have never heard of this movie, but the mere existence of this release makes it one of the most significant releases from any boutique label this year. This film has ostensibly been lost for over 40 years, seemingly unexhibited since its week-long theatrical debut in a handful of theaters in Mexico. Unavailable and practically forgotten since that time, Deaf Crocodile has worked with the Cineteca Nacional in Mexico to resurrect this fabled animated adventure and give it a second chance to find an audience with an impeccable presentation.

One of the strangely beneficial things about this film being shuttered away for so long is that the camera negative is in surprisingly good shape, allowing for a truly miraculous presentation free of nearly any exceptional print damage. That said, this label understands that handcrafted animation has texture to it, so no additional processing has been applied to eliminate the original filmic qualities, meaning every distinct line and mark of the animation is preserved on this newest release. The textures of the intergalactic environments and character designs are clear as day and give the odyssey the appropriate amount of depth. The colors present in this transfer are similarly laudable with these complex hues swirling amidst one another while maintaining crisp delineation. Black levels are robust with no serious issues of banding or compression when coupled with a sturdy encode.

One aspect worth noting is that when the original materials were inspected, the label was surprised to see that some live-action footage from a Kinji Fukasaku movie was illegally spliced in. Since the copyrighted material belongs to Toei and it would have been impossible to license (not to mention looking horrid from a visual standpoint with condition of the stolen materials), the label made the compromise of hiring some animators to create new art to replace the live-action material that amounted to less than five minutes of footage. While this may seem like horrendous revisionism, the way Deaf Crocodile approached this was sensitive to the creative ideals of the film at every step; plus, it literally would have been impossible to ever release the movie in its original state due to the stolen footage. The newly created footage was not simply slotted in from an HD file—the material was first transferred to film and scanned in the same way the original animation was so they would have similar filmic properties.

The result often makes you question which of the footage is new and what was the original artwork. This seamless nature of this presentation is like a magic trick. The label made the best out of a difficult situation, and in doing so, one would presume this is as close to the original intended vision as possible. Not only did Deaf Crocodile save a piece of animation history from total obscurity, but they ensured that the presentation is of the highest standards. This Blu-Ray is a marvelous experience that gives a richer life than anyone ever dreamed. Deaf Crocodile continues to prove why they are one of the best boutique labels in the game.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track in the original Spanish (with optional English subtitles) which holds up very well. The dialogue comes through pleasantly without sound effects or the music overpowering vital information. The elements of music contained within here hold up with favorable fidelity. The adventure employs key sound effects in the form of sci-fi weapons and explosions that are given the appropriate presence within the mix. The track handles atmospheric effects well all around. The audio track represents the soundscape every bit as well as the video side of things.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Armando Hernández & Joey Diaz of the Trash-Mex podcast deliver an entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss the history of the project, the style of the animation, the background of the vocal performers, the history of Mexican animation, and much more. These two are very knowledgeable and help contextualize things quite effectively.

Mexico’s First Animated Exploitation Feature: A 14-minute visual essay from film historian Celeste de la Cabra that explores the concept of replicating popular genre cinema across the world, early animated output from Mexico, the comparisons to Flash Gordon, and much more.

Roy del animación – A Conversation with Brian Smee and Isabelle Aspin: A nearly eight-minute featurette in which the animators of the new footage explain the process of interpreting the story and matching the new animation to the established movie.

Interview with Hector Lopez Reyes: A 55-minute interview with the grandson of director Héctor López Carmona, conducted by Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok, is provided. In this piece, Reyes relays some memories of his grandfather, including the loss of some of his fingers, his evolution as an animator, how animation is intertwined with the family history, and more.

Interview with Andrea Pérez Mata, Ulises Pérez Mata, and Alejandro Mata: A 75-minute interview with Andrea Pérez Mata (an animator on the film) and Ulises Pérez Mata, both children of Roy from Space producer Ulises Pérez Aguirre, and their cousin, Alejandro Mata. In this piece, you get some background on each of the participants, insights into how animation fits into the family background, a discussion of their father’s impact on Mexican cinema, and so much more.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included in this release, which features new essays by film historian & re-release co-producer Alejandro Vidal and film critic Walter Chaw that not only delve into the film’s narrative, but also the journey to rediscovering this forgotten film.

Final Thoughts

Roy from Space is the type of obscure animated passion project that makes you fall in love with the medium all over again. We will not lie and say it is the most flawless work of art to ever exist—this was a low-budget labor of love from a country where very few animated films had ever been created. Nevertheless, you have to admire the ambition and creativity put into this charming, rough-around-the-edges space adventure. It is intriguing because it has been impossible to watch for decades, but the spirit of fun and wonder is what makes it worth watching. Deaf Crocodile has released a Blu-Ray which sports a gorgeous A/V presentation and an invaluable assortment of special features. Highly Recommended

Roy from Space is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Deaf Crocodile and select indie retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.