Wizards

It's funny reading some of the comments on here, today, in the year 2004. Several people got it right, but to the several that got it wrong -- let us go back in time.

Bakshi's "Wizards" is not meant to be a cinematic masterpiece, but it reflected the time of my generation: The children born under the tip of a planet-killing nuclear bomb. Where, as one post commented, we went to school and learned Duck-And-Cover, and air raid sirens were tested once-a-week, every week of the year. We grew up in a world where the idea of surviving to the year 2004 was shaky, at best. And, as bizarre and B-movie bad as Wizards may be, it spoke to that segment of society that realistically expected the world to end, and another to take its place. Wizards has a place in my heart because my third birthday was around the Cuban Missle Crises, and I grew up with the story of how my parents weren't sure if it was worth planning a birthday party that may never happen. Sure, the bombs are still around today. But the ever-present, daily angst of them falling from the sky doesn't exist like it did in the '60s and '70s and '80s.

One more thing: Give Bakshi his due! Sure, he had his fair share of lemons, but if it wasn't for "Fritz The Cat," and "Wizards" and his other attempts -- there'd likely be no "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Ren and Stimpy," "Family Guy," Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and more -- as we know them today. There may have been Warner Brothers' Bugs Bunny, and Rocky and Bullwinkle, but they were still basically defined as children's entertainment(thus, always shown on Saturday morning). Bakshi defined the niche of adult animation with his efforts to get cartoons to grow up. And, if I'm not mistaken, his success (however you want to measure it) helped spawn "Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home" -- the first adult animated TV show aired at night.

I found this movie as a teen and used to show it to friends the morning after parties. It's sort of a Saturday morning cartoon gone horribly awry. I've never seen animation like it before, though I understand Bakshi has other stuff out there. I like it better than Heavy Metal and American Pop. I found it while looking for Rock and Rule, which I didn't find very memorable. This, however, I saw once and had to see again! Everyone I've shown it to has liked it- it's a sci-fi fantasy cartoon with a moral message and enough plot and humor to keep things interesting. Again, great morning after type stuff, though perhaps a bit intense and/or slow at times.

This cartoon was one of those in the seventies when animation was almost dead. A few folks revived it with movies like Fritz the Cat, Lord of the Rings, Fire and Ice and Wizards. Although Wizards didn't do well during the prime time, it rocked as a midnight movie.

But, even with the simple plot, engaging characters and sporadic humor, one gets the impression that this movie was not well-planned. There is conventional animation, rotoscoping and overexposed film sometimes being used on the same screen. It also seems that they ran out of money and had to resort to stills with a narrator (nice voice)...

You'd think that this would make the movie worse; however, it gives the movie a charm that a slicker production wouldn't have...

This cult/comic/anime movie ranks right up at the top of the list along with all the good ones - Heavy Metal, American Pop,etc. To the people who say the animation is no good and the story line is horrible I have two points to make: 1. Look at the year it was made. C'mon, trees were entertaining if you drank the right "Kool-Aid". and #2 - you don't like the animation and the story line, yet you can't wait for the new season of South Park to come on. This movie has all the necessary elements for any classic that stays in your heart long after you saw it. Unforgettable characters, one scene that reached out to you and you still can't get it out of your head, and that one catchy line that makes you smile every time you hear it. (For me it will always be "They killed Fritz!") This is a movie to enjoy over and over.

When one imagines wizards, usually knights, mounts, damsels, and dragons come to mind almost exclusively. But would one think of the haunting memories of the holocaust, or any actions Hitler's Nazi Regime took whenever magic-wielding wizards are mentioned? Not likely.

Bakshi's able to pit the essence of fantasy against the monstrosity of an ever-growing being we call "technology." The animation is simple (albeit complex and interesting at times) yet unique, the characters are conflicted and well-developed, and the twisted, somewhat random humor adds a twist of reality in a seemingly hopeless world. Definitely a movie to watch and a movie to criticize in its own rite.