Wizards (1977)

Director:

Ralph Bakshi

Writer:

Ralph Bakshi (writer)

Release Date:

9 February 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The ultimate futuristic fantastic epic

Plot:

On a post-apocalyptic Earth, A wizard and his faire folk comrades fight an evil wizard who's using technology in his bid for conquest.

Plot Keywords:

Wizard | Mutant | Fairy | Technology | Twins

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Bob Holt	...	Avatar (voice)
Jesse Welles	...	Elinore (voice)
Richard Romanus	...	Weehawk (voice)
David Proval	...	Peace (voice)
Jim Connell	...	President (voice) (as James Connell)
Steve Gravers	...	Blackwolf (voice)
Barbara Sloane	...	Fairy (voice)
Angelo Grisanti	...	Frog (voice)
Hyman Wien	...	Priest (voice)
Christopher Tayback	...	Peewhittle (voice)
Mark Hamill	...	Sean (voice) (as Mark Hamil)
Peter Hobbs	...	General (voice)
Tina Romanus	...	Prostitute (voice) (as Tina Bowman)

Also Known As:

War Wizards (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Argentina:82 min | USA:80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | New Zealand:M | Netherlands:16 (original version) | UK:A (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (1986) (video rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Bakshi Productions

Trivia:

The line "They killed Fritz! They killed Fritz!" is a reference to Robert Crumb killing off Fritz the Cat in his underground comic book series. Ralph Bakshi directed the film adaptation of Fritz the Cat (1972). Bakshi is quoted as saying, "I named the character Fritz in "Wizards," just so I could scream 'They killed Fritz!' To kill such a cat would make Don Marcus commit suicide."

Quotes:

Avatar: I'm too old for this sort of thing. Just wake me up when the planet's destroyed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 3 (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Only Time Will Tell

One of the best animated films from the 70's.

This film was Bakshi's test-run, of sorts, for his upcoming version of 'Lord of the Rings'. Supposedly he originally wanted to make a fantasy based on the Holocaust, but settled for a more traditional fantasy. The story deals with wizards and elves in the distant future who dig up long-forgotten Nazi propaganda films and old war machinery, which are used by evil creatures to try and conquer the good creatures. The demons and evil creatures are obviously symbols of Nazis while the elves (with one being the voice of a young Mark Hamill) representing the Jews. It's almost disturbing at times watching old WWII war movie footage with German soldiers fighting alongside animated demons against psychedelic-colored backgrounds. The film is worth viewing for the still-drawings alone that appear throughout the film, with excellent artwork by Michael Ploog. The animation doesn't strive for realism (why bother, since Rotoscoping is so heavily used) but captures the dynamic motion depicted in comic book art. Very good. Highly recommended.