The Movie
When it was released in the spring of 1977, Wizards was the first animated movie in 20th Century Fox's history. It was a promising hit right out of the gate despite an allegedly vindictive re-release of Disney's Fantasia, but the subsequent success of Star Wars weeks later led the studio to pull Wizards from many screens just to help meet the demand. And so this animated fantasy film developed a cult following, which inspired a petition to release it on DVD, and now for the 35th anniversary Fox has issued a handsome hardbound Blu-ray book edition.
Set ten million years in our future, the world as we know it has ended after a nuclear holocaust and humans have allied with peaceful fairies and their ilk to embrace nature, while radiation-tainted mutants have turned to whatever technology they can find. Two brothers are the leaders of the two rival civilizations, both wizards: good Avatar and evil Blackwolf. They manage to co-exist without incident for millennia, until Blackwolf discovers that old Nazi propaganda has the power to unite his disparate followers into a fierce fighting force, and soon he shall conquer the world through a bloody new war, unless someone finds a way to stop him.
Writer/director/producer Ralph Bakshi was then best-known for changing the face of animation with the controversial, sex-crazed Fritz the Cat, and the PG-rated Wizards is a family-friendlier departure, despite a scantily-clad heroine and occasional innuendo. Stylistically the movie is very simple, sometimes employing crude renderings like the TV commercials of the era, elsewhere relying upon static drawings with narration to tell the story. Even live-action footage is modified for use here, or stock footage is edited into the mix for an odd, experimental effect. But Bakshi is guilty of the same sin as most fantasy filmmakers before Peter Jackson: In crafting a grand spectacle unlike any we'd seen before, he created something unrelatable to mainstream audiences. The results are often quite silly really, and much like the heroes' journey, the plot is meandering to the point that even at 81 minutes Wizards tries the patience.
It did however set the stage for Bakshi's next big-screen undertaking: The Lord of the Rings.
The Picture
The film element used for this master--which might be the same utilized for the DVD--displays a mildly distracting weave due to its age. Colors are pleasingly bold, but the 1.85:1 image is marked with a generous dose of film grain and some modest dirt and damage. The use of mist and other visual effects can obscure portions of the onscreen action, but at this level of resolution--the AVC bitrate is usually above 35Mbps--we can still adequately make out all of the key characters. The fine lines of Blackwolf's domain are clean and sharp.
The Sound
The movie has certainly not been sonically reinvented for modern audiences, as despite a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel remix, Wizards offers precious little activity in the rears. In one scene the heroes are accosted by a violent windstorm, in another they hear but don't see riders approaching then splitting up then moving in from different directions: You'd think these moments might play out in the surrounds, but you'd be wrong. Instead we get just a bit of incidental fill. Andrew Belling's music at least has a lovely home theater presence.
The Extras
The Blu-ray offers three enjoyable extras, all ported from the 2004 DVD. Bakshi provides a full running audio commentary in which he frankly discusses the justifications of his many artistic choices as well as recounting some of the tremendous challenges faced during the long production. He is also the focus of a 34-minute (SD) on-camera documentary, packed with even more generous insight. The still image galleries collect an extensive array of character artwork and more.
As mentioned above, this edition arrives inside a pretty little book filled with art and informative text.
Final Thoughts
A curiosity more than a masterpiece, Ralph Bakshi's Wizards is an interesting time capsule of alternative animation from a bygone era, an enduring fan favorite but not one that is likely to win over any new converts in this edition.
Product Details
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