![]() It's used in a more stylised way here and doesn't seem so out-of-place. The latter always feels like a bit of a cheap way to do animation but it is done here more successfully than it was in Bakshi's later Lord of the Rings. It combines traditional animation alongside detailed still drawings, real footage and rotoscoping. In terms of visual artistry Wizards is something of a mixed bag. For this reason, the film never fully engages. ![]() In truth, though, the story here isn't all that great and the characters not especially good. Wizards is a good example of one of the earliest examples of animation that was consciously moving away from children's stories. ![]() What, of course, is so strange with all of this is that it is presented within the framework of an all-out fantasy adventure cartoon. It suggests that uncontrolled technology is a very bad thing, while it also reiterates the evil of fascism. It's quite clear that the story as such presents a cautionary tale. Old war machinery and Nazi propaganda films are rediscovered by evil beings and used as a means to militarily conquer weaker peoples. This is our world in the future, a world of elves and wizards. Its story has a couple of twins, one good (Avatar) and one evil (Blackwolf) fight one and other for domination the former with magic, the latter with technology. Like Fantastic Planet and Heavy Metal, it falls into that small group of animated movies that can be considered bona fide cult movies. As a result it is a bizarre and somewhat uneven feature that is undoubtedly somewhat unique. It combines the fantasy world of the former with the adult themes of the latter. Wizards falls somewhere between these two. The most high profile was his adaption of The Lord of the Rings, while his most respected was the subversive Fritz the Cat. This is one of the trio of Ralph Bakshi animated features that appeared in cinemas in the 70's. ![]() Treat yourself to a symbolic retro-future style film loaded with psychedelic animation, memorable characters, and a truly wonderful adventure that will transport you to a whole new world set ten million years into the distant future. The film's climax is brilliant and fits the overall tone of the film. I was impressed by the surreal and creative animation, and I was mesmerized by the mystical and otherworldly music score. This movie has a great deal of symbolism and is very thought provoking, it deals with the power of propaganda and the dangers of the over reliance on technology. Wonderful supporting characters include Weehawk, a courageous and cynical elf, Elinore, a young fairy princess whom Avatar is in love with, and Necron 99, a robotic assassin who is turned into a good robot named Peace. It's a great combination of science fiction and fantasy set years into a strange post apocalyptic future where broken tanks, guns, and Nazi propaganda are regarded as ancient artifacts. Avatar rules the peaceful kingdom of Montagar with wisdom and magic, while the evil Blackwolf rules the dark land of Scortch with technology and war. It's a story of Avatar and Blackwolf, two wizard brothers. It's Ralph Bakshi's first film aimed at children, but it's actually very intense, violent battle sequences, some mild adult language, suggestive material, and some dark themes that are more suited for older audiences. Though the film alters in tone quite often from dark and moody to light and whimsical, it's one of my all time favorite movies. This is one of the most brilliant movies ever made. Overall, decent film and underrated but too flawed for me to consider it a masterpiece. The characters while on the stereotypical side are at least likable and engaging, I did find myself rooting for Avatar. However, the film does look wonderful, the characters do look too cartoony but I liked their rough-around-the-edges charm and the backgrounds and colours are stylish and beautiful. But I did have issues with the narration not since Don Bluth's Rock a Doodle have I seen an animated movie with such an (I feel) unnecessary overuse of narration. I had mixed feelings on the story, it was a great idea and while simple was generally interesting and engaged me once I got over its strangeness. The soundtrack also felt a little cheesy and perhaps too 70s, and the pacing is awkward, often feeling sluggish. The dialogue I don't think has been a general strength in Bakshi's movies but I did find it very corny here. Wizards' flaws have been covered a number of times in previous reviews, but I do share my agreement with some that have been brought up. It is certainly an interesting movie, and is certainly better than Cool World, but as far as Bakshi's movies go I do much prefer Heavy Traffic and American Pop. As for me, I don't love or dislike Wizards. I have come across who like this movie and some that don't so much, sometimes downright hate it even.
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