Ralph Bakshi attempts to tell an incredibly large-scale fantasy
story in his 1977 animated film Wizards. In a post-apocalyptic future the creatures
of magic regain control of Earth. Avatar, an old absentminded wizard, presides over the
forces of good while his brother Blackwolf runs the evil land of Scortch. Unbeknownst to
his brother, Blackwolf has unearthed many twentieth century technological devices that
will unite his armies in an effort to achieve world domination.
While this may be seen as somewhat kid-friendly territory for Bakshi (especially
compared to his previous films like Fritz the Cat), Wizards still manages to
shock and provoke years after it was made. I loved how the cute characters in the film
were just as likely to die as the villains. This little touch made the film very
unpredictable. Also, it’s constant desire to explore real issues like fascism and
religion makes Wizards much more compelling than most animated films of that time.
Bakshi isn’t interested in merely showing a battle between good and evil. Instead he
uses this story to express his own warnings about the impact that technology has on
government. While I was enthralled by the message of the film I did feel that the
characters were somewhat compromised in order to deliver this political viewpoint. There
are several scenes involving random characters comically discussing the truths of war, but
very few emotional scenes between the main characters. Avatar’s relationship with the
young and scantily clad fairy Elinore never has the emotional resonance that Bakshi is
aiming for. They are apparently in love by the end, but I hardly saw these romantic
feelings emerge throughout the course of the story. So, while I admire the thought put
into Wizards, I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a more even
balance between character and politics.
The new DVD from Twentieth Century Fox has a very nice video transfer. The colours are
sharp and the blacks are pronounced. There does; however tend to be a fair amount of
scratches in the film, not just in the stock footage moments. I enjoyed the audio transfer
that really brought the simple, yet very intriguing soundscape of the movie to life.
The special features on this DVD are quite a surprise. I was expecting Ralph Bakshi:
The Wizard of Animation Featurette to be promotional fluff, but instead it is a very
involving half hour interview with the man. His thoughts on this film and the animation
business in general are fascinating. I particularly enjoyed his reasons why you should
never talk down to a children’s audience. These opinions pop up again in
Bakshi’s very entertaining audio commentary on the DVD. Rounding out the special
features are some great animation photo galleries that show how certain characters evolved
as well as a few theatrical trailers.
