Rejoice! Ralph Bakshi's 1977 cult classic science fiction and fantasy film Wizards is to be released on Blu-ray!
This is big news! I quite simply adore this old cartoon. I first saw Wizards as a kid on one of the first alpha waves of cable television — either ON or SELECT TV (yes, it was that long ago). Its unique "Bakshi" brand of stylized animation is wholly memorable and one-of-a-kind. I'm thrilled the film is finally getting this sort of release.
For those who have not heard of this cult classic, Wizards is about a post-apocalyptic world in which elves, dwarves, men and wizards square off against the mutated hordes of evil. The bad guy of the story, Blackwolf, manages to get a hold of Nazi propaganda, and successfully uses the fascist techniques of Hitler to train his mutant hordes into a frenzied killing machine capable of storming through the ranks of fairies and men.
We will post a more complete review once we get a chance to see the release itself. It does appear to be a solid treatment, complete with a companion book and art from the film. Plus, for a new Blu-ray, its initial price is cheap at a suggested $19.99.
In my enthusiasm for this film, I once made a selection of animated gifs. This release gives me an opportunity to dust them off and share them. Check them out below. Keep in mind the animated gifs are not from the Blu-ray and do not reflect the quality of that release. They are also not small — 56K — beware!
Also included are some stills. Wizards on Blu-ray is planned to hit store shelves on March 13, 2012. Post your thoughts on this new release in a comment below!
This was quite an event when it came out, back when I was a young teen. It's an even better translation of the "Heavy Metal school" of fantasy art than the movie Heavy Metal itself. It's not a perfect flick by any means, but it's pretty cool and a personal fave.
A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open.