Description:
Although Ralph Bakshi's reputation as a figure in animation history has declined over the years, Wizards (1977) has long enjoyed a cult following. The plot follows a long-prophesied postapocalyptic battle between twin brothers: Blackwolf, an evil sorcerer, and Avatar, a good wizard. Drawn into the conflict are overendowed fairy princess Elinore, elf Weehawk, and Necron 99/Peace (a minion of Blackwolf's whom Avatar has converted to good). The story wanders and stumbles aimlessly: although the fate of the world lies in the balance, Avatar dithers like a borscht-belt comic doing shtick. Visually, the film is a mishmash of cartoony
Although Ralph Bakshi's reputation as a figure in animation history has declined over the years, Wizards (1977) has long enjoyed a cult following. The plot follows a long-prophesied postapocalyptic battle between twin brothers: Blackwolf, an evil sorcerer, and Avatar, a good wizard. Drawn into the conflict are overendowed fairy princess Elinore, elf Weehawk, and Necron 99/Peace (a minion of Blackwolf's whom Avatar has converted to good). The story wanders and stumbles aimlessly: although the fate of the world lies in the balance, Avatar dithers like a borscht-belt comic doing shtick. Visually, the film is a mishmash of cartoony animation (much too cartoony for a dramatic narrative), processed live action, still artwork, and old newsreel footage of Adolph Hitler. Before 1977, the only American animated film that offered fantasy fans the period conflict they sought was Disney's Sleeping Beauty: Wizards filled a gap. Decades later, countless anime series, from Dragon Ball to Fullmetal Alchemist and Bleach, have presented epic battles between the forces of good and evil with more effective animation, better stories, more sophisticated visual styles, flashier effects, and more skillful direction. Baby boomers who remember watching Wizards as kids may derive a nostalgic pleasure from revisiting it; other viewers will find a dated oddity, as passรฉ as a Nehru jacket. (Rated PG: violence, violence against women, tobacco use, potentially offensive religious and Nazi imagery) --Charles Solomon
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Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Release date: 13 March 2012
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 0024543781899 UPC: 024543781899
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