Review of Wizards (1977) by Jon T — 12 Feb 2013

As a strong advocate of animated films for more mature audiences, I've always believed that animation can stretch into limitless realms. Despite the fact that I have positively reviewed many CG films I have been rather critical of the current directions American animation has limited itself to over the years. I know full well the potential the Western animation has. In contrast to anime, it has more flexibility in its technical aspects and can create very lush, richly detailed, and creative worlds. Animator Ralph Bakshi has always attempted to bring these aspects into fruition in order to expand the legal boundaries of the genre. "Wizards" is one of those movies that presents many great ideas for the style, but is burdened with atmospheric inconsistencies.

Set in an apocalyptic world in the distant future, Earth has been nearly destroyed by a series of nuclear cataclysms. The last remnants of humanity have emerged from the ashes two million years after the strong radiation wore off only to be reborn as mutants. The queen of the fairies, Delia gives birth to two twin wizards: Avatar and Blackwolf. Both brothers embody contrasting personalities and have been at war with one another since birth. After Delia dies and Avatar defeats Blackwolf, two warring kingdoms start to emerge and divide the world. After surviving an assassination attempt by one of Blackwolf's assassins, Avatar embarks on a quest with the half-fairy Eleanor, a reprogrammed 9000, and the courageous elf Weehok to the land of Scortch to settle a childhood score with Blackwolf.

The story to Wizards is engaging and exciting. As the title would suggest, the world that this movie creates is very imaginative in combining elements of science fiction and fantasy. I love the background designs of both kingdoms and how both kingdoms almost perfectly embody its style. The world that this movie creates is mostly bleak, but certain areas and moments do alleviate this kind of atmosphere. The kingdom of Montagar is a land full of the manifestations of the desires and imaginations of every human being. Ruled by the good wizard, Avatar, magic and peace dominate the land. The land of Scortch is very bleak. Martial law dominates the society, morality is in decline, and science and technology reign supreme.

"Wizards" tries to mesh two different worlds together in one setting and the result is rather hit-and-miss. Despite the wonderfully rendered backgrounds and atmospheric visuals, I have mixed feelings about the overall art style. I must confess that for a 1977 animated film that is on a budget, the animation is very well done. The general style is very flexible and embodies different forms in conjunction to each scene. The animation alternates from cartoon, to realistic detail, to rotoscope, to live action. Each detail adjusts to different tones and atmospheres that are presented within these same scenes. I love how Blackwolf's discovery of WWII inspired propaganda is incorporated into the film by having the live action stock footage play in the background during war scenes and I also love the contribution of oppressive mood during these same scenes where most of the characters transition to rotoscope. Bakshi admits that he is an honest individual in expressing the feeling of each scene through these transitions and diversifying the story through the use of these different art forms. Hence, making this movie capitalize more on the heart aspect of the characters and not so much on the feeling. The music and voice acting are also well handled.

This does bring me to the downside. Despite the good animation quality and Bakshi's attempt at trying a different approach to artistic storytelling, I would've like to have seen a more balanced, consistent art style. Most of this movie does incorporate a Terry Toon influenced style and this element is used to add more to the family appeal. The many comedic segments used in this film with this style didn't really amount to much and were a little too random for my taste. I have nothing against Bakshi's use of comedic satire. I loved this style in his films like "Heavy Traffic" and "Fritz the Cat". Though he has used more consistent animation in his other classics, like "Fire and Ice", "Lord of the Rings", and "American Pop". Since the world of "Wizards" has more dramatic undertones, I think that a more consistently detailed style would've worked more favorably in this film's case.

I have very mixed emotions about Ralph Bakshi as an animation director. I want to love his movies since he is very considerate towards those who crave mature animation with a lot of creativity and is remarkably analytical in discovering the many areas animation has never tackled. The only problem is that he does seem to be a little too caught up in his story to the point to where he overshadows the character aspects and design continuity. Don't get wrong, I believe that he is on the right track in the story realm and how one should do animated movies. But I do wish that there were a little more of a sense of feeling to the characters to help make the movie come to life. Love him or hate him, one can't deny that he is a rightful innovator who is full of wonderful ideas and a determination to bring them into fruition. Like Lord of the Rings, Ralph Bakshi considers this movie as one of his more family oriented movies. Having made such films as "Heavy Traffic", "Coonskin", and the classic "Fritz the Cat" Bakshi is no stranger to controversy, yet he almost never fails to bring something new to the table.

"Wizards" is a near perfect example of what people like me crave in the realm of animation. Adventure, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and creativity rolled into one story that is satisfying in its own merit. "Wizards" may not be as great as films like "Fantastic Planet", "Heavy Metal", or Japanese anime, but it is a worthwhile movie that fans of the aforementioned comparisons should give attention.