(1977) Written and directed by Ralph Bakshi; Starring: Bob Holt, Jesse Welles, Richard Romanus, David Proval, Jim Connell, and Steve Gravers; Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Rating: ***½
“…Unless democracies keep their eyes open, fascism is always ready to come back, in any generation… Dictatorships rise when democracies get weak.” – Ralph Bakshi (from DVD commentary)
Maverick animator Ralph Bakshi, best known for his X-rated Fritz
the Cat (1972), along with the controversial satirical urban comedy/dramas Heavy
Traffic (1973) and Streetfight (1974), isn’t exactly the first name
you would associate with family entertainment. Nevertheless, he’s been no
stranger to more family-oriented fare throughout the years, having directed multiple
episodes of Spider-Man (1968-1970) and several other notable TV projects.
If we’re only considering his theatrical output, however, Wizards
represented a significant departure from Bakshi’s previous work.
The movie starts with a brief prologue* to get the audience up to speed. Set in the far distant future, millions of years after a worldwide nuclear apocalypse wiped out life as we knew it, the Earth is healing. Although parts remain uninhabitable, new species have emerged, while society has banned science and technology for fear of repeating history. Magic is effectively the new science. Powerful wizard twins Avatar and Blackwolf, one good, one evil, represent opposing forces on the revitalized planet. Their differences lead to an inevitable clash resulting in Blackwolf’s defeat, but 3,000 years later, Blackwolf is up for a rematch. From his castle in the dark land of Scortch (think Mordor),** he orders his minions to scavenge for any remnants from Earth’s ancient, technological past, adopting the iconography and ruthless ideology of the Nazis as a template for his own campaign of shock and awe. Blackwolf sends a robot assassin to eliminate his brother, which doesn’t go as planned when it’s captured by Avatar and re-named “Peace.” Against incalculable odds, Avatar sets out with the half-fairy princess Elinore, elf warrior Weehawk, and Peace, to confront Blackwolf and his formidable army.
* Fun Fact #1: Susan Tyrell, who provided the film’s narration (and also narrated the first trailer) requested to have her name removed from the credits. She later regretted the decision after seeing how the film helped, rather than hindered her career.
** Fun Fact #2: J.R.R. Tolkien’s daughter, Priscilla,
enjoyed Bakshi’s film, proving in her mind that he was capable of successfully animating
a fantasy story, thus opening the door for his adaptation The Lord of the
Rings.
While his brother Blackwolf ticks all the usual boxes for a villain, Avatar (voiced by Bob Holt, who modeled his characterization after Peter Falk’s Columbo) isn’t your typical stereotype of a “good” wizard. He’s depicted as a cuddly, cigar-chomping, absent-minded little man, with a bit of a lecherous streak. Unlike his brother, he’s a lover, not a fighter. In contrast, Blackwolf, with his skeletal arms, harsh facial features and piercing eyes, creates no doubt about his malevolent intent. The curvaceous half-fairy Elinore (voiced by Jesse Welles, and named after Bakshi’s ex-girlfriend) who looks like a cross between Betty Boop and Mae West, spends most of the film running around in a skimpy bikini – not the most practical clothing if you’re planning to fight evil, but she provides some much-needed moments of levity. Most of the vocal performances are fine,*/** except for the elf warrior Weehawk (Richard Romanus), who sounds more like he belongs in the cast of Warriors (1979) or West Side Story (1961) than a fantasy film. In his commentary, Bakshi confided that he wasn’t entirely happy with Weehawk’s design as it appeared in the film, and would probably cast a different actor in the sequel (which remains unmade).
* Fun Fact #3: At about the halfway point, watch out for the fairy character Sean, voiced by Mark Hamill, fresh from filming Star Wars (1977).
** Fun Fact #4: Bakshi himself voiced two characters, the
hapless soldier Fritz, and a peace-loving (albeit dimwitted) stormtrooper.
Bakshi’s wife and daughter, Liz and Victoria, lent their vocal talent as a
Fairy Mother and child, respectively.
Wizards utilized traditional cell animation,
augmented by different styles, for artistic as well as budgetary reasons. Artist
Michael G. Ploog illustrated the stills in the prologue and ending, which
otherwise would have been too expensive to animate, while British illustrator
Ian Miller created the highly detailed industrial nightmare backgrounds of
Scortch. Bakshi incorporated clips from live-action Nazi propaganda films, including
Leni Riefenstahl’s notorious Triumph of the Will (1935), providing an
instantly recognizable link to humanity’s sordid past. To depict Blackwolf’s marching
hordes, Bakshi employed rotoscoping of live-action stock footage from other
films. The blending of disparate visual styles makes every scene look fresh, rather
than something that was churned out by a committee.
Bakshi pushed the envelope of what could be considered a “family” film in 1977 with the PG-rated Wizards. As he noted in his commentary, he wasn’t aiming for something that resembled a Disney production. The house that Walt built would never have allowed characters with overt sexuality, revealing outfits, or graphic depictions of violence. While Disney’s animated films routinely receive a PG rating nowadays, they seem sanitized by comparison, lacking the street smarts, anatomically-endowed characters, and innuendos of Baskshi’s film. Many of these elements wouldn’t seem out of place in a Japanese or European-animated production, but it might raise an eyebrow or two with audiences primarily accustomed to Disney’s way of doing things. Beyond the stylistic choices, Wizards dares to go where few other films intended for a broader audience dare to tread. Its themes about authoritarianism and absolute power corrupting everything it touches are ideal launching points for a family discussion.
Despite the challenges of creating a low-budget fantasy epic within a scant 80-minute running time, Ralph Bakshi convincingly depicts a world that’s far removed from our own, yet oddly relatable. It’s at once an amusing speculative glimpse at the far-flung future, as well as a grim reminder that the sins of the past only remain in the past if we choose not to repeat them. Although it was released nearly a half-century ago, Wizards continues to evoke parallels to recent political developments – war and fascism never seem to go out of style.
Sources for this article: DVD commentary by Ralph Bakshi
