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In retrospect, Ralph Bakshi’s 1977 animated fantasy, Wizards, was destined to become a cult classic. After working in television and earning a reputation for left-leaning, urban-based animated features, including the X-rated Fritz the Cat, Bakshi was aiming for more family-friendly, mainstream fare. For the first couple weeks of release, it looked like he might have pulled it off—a rare feat for a non-Disney-produced animated film. And then Star Wars opened, and that’s a big reason why Wizards isn’t particularly well-known outside of animation fans. Thankfully, those fans were vocal enough in their appreciation over the next few decades to secure a DVD release in 2004 and now a 35th anniversary Blu-ray edition.
The film is set in a post-nuclear war future where magic has returned to the world. The wizards of the title are the twin sons of the queen of the fairies. Avatar (voiced by Bob Holt) is the good son, kind-hearted and jovial with the voice and demeanor of a Peter Falk character. Blackwolf (Steve Gravers) is his polar opposite, bent on world domination and possessing a fondness for reclaimed Nazi weaponry and propaganda films. When it becomes clear that Blackwolf could reach his goal, Avatar reluctantly sets out with the fairie-in-training Elinore (Jesse Welles), elven warrior Weehawk (Richard Romanus), and reformed assassin Peace (David Proval) to stop him.
With Wizards, Bakshi clearly had his sights set on epic allegory. Beyond the basic premise of good versus evil, the film’s themes include the dangers of abusing technology and propaganda and the potential for fascist states to rise in the absence of a strong moral opposition. It aims high, and if it doesn’t quite hit the mark, it’s certainly not for lack of trying.
That wide reach also appears in the combination of animation styles present in the film. The main characters are done in flowing hand-drawn cel animation style, often with highly detailed static backgrounds done by different artists to highlight the two sides in the conflict. After financial constraints forced him to find a new way to animate the epic climax, Bakshi turned to a unique form of rotoscoping to manipulate battle scenes from films like Alexander Nevsky and Battle of the Bulge. This collage of styles became a trademark of Bakshi’s, and it lends his work a distinct feel.
All of it looks gorgeous on the high-definition Blu-ray, which also preserves two excellent special features from the 2004 DVD: a commentary track by Bakshi and a 30-minute featurette, in which he describes both the origins of the film and his own career as an animator. Bakshi’s enthusiasm for the work and the industry as a whole come through loud and clear, and the feature should be required viewing for anyone interested in the development of American animation.
Despite having heard of it a few times, this was my first viewing of Wizards, and I can honestly say that I’m grateful to the fans who pressed for its release in the 20-some years between its theatrical and DVD releases. It’s not a perfect movie, and there are aspects that clearly date it to the mid-‘70s, but it’s also the work of a unique vision. If you’ve never seen it—and the odds of that are pretty good—you should give it a try.
