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I'm Glad You Changed Your Name

Why Wizards is one of the Greatest Fantasy Films Ever Made

By Atomic HistorianPublished 3 years ago Updated 9 months ago 6 min read
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A group of misfit companions must cross a cursed land to save to their world from the clutches of a crazed wizard. In their quest, a good wizard leads the band to take on the growing army of monsters of the evil wizard. No, this is not Lord of the Rings. This is Wizards, Ralph Bakshi’s 1977 post-apocalyptic science fantasy film.

Wizards was introduced to me as a child. I remember watching it when we lived with my grandparents, and it was always on my must-watch list whenever I visited them. Made at a time when animation was still allowed to walk the unbeaten path, Wizards stands as one of the greatest animated films in American history. The film began as an idea in Ralph Bakshi’s heart to make a "family-friendly film.” Or as Bakshi puts it in the DVD extra documentary, Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation, “I wanted to show the world, and myself, that it doesn’t take controversy for animation to be soulful, beautiful, feelings and be realistic. I could do a fantasy. A PG for a family film.” And to that end, Ralph set out to make a film that treated children and adults with the same seriousness.

Wizards begins by telling the viewer that the story centers around “an illuminating history bearing on the everlasting struggle for world supremacy, fought between the powers of technology and magic.” This struggle is set off in the film by the detonation of 1,000 atomic fireballs, set off by five terrorists. This is followed by a 2-million-year nuclear blackout of the sun, which causes much of the human race to turn into radioactive mutants. These unfortunate souls flounder in the badlands. However, there are also good lands, and in these good lands reemerge the “true ancestors of man;” the fairies, elves, and dwarves. These are the first stereotypical fantasy creatures introduced into the story. It is also in this scene that we learn that Delia, queen of the fairies, has two sons during the Feast of Plenty (a celebration of the past 3,000 years of peace).

Delia births the twins from what is presumably a type of immaculate conception, as she does not appear to have been pregnant before the festival. The twins are the film's main protagonist and antagonist, Avatar, and Blackwolf. Avatar is an attractive and more human-like wizard. Blackwolf, the mutated wizard with mangled arms, is “repelling and impossible to get near.” Avatar spends much of his life entertaining and caring for their mother, while Blackwolf lingers in the periphery torturing small animals. It is these character traits that are central to the story, as the peoples of Montagar and Scortch are divided between the warring camps.

Rounding out the motley crew that is the main body opposing Blackwolf, are Weehawk and Necron 99 (later renamed Peace). Weehawk is the titular elf warrior of the party. Of the heroes, Weehawk is the one with the most on the line, as he is not only defending his land from invasion but also defending his family from destruction. Of all of the things in the world of Wizards, Necron 99/Peace is the most technologically advanced piece of hardware. In the story, Necron 99 is an anthropomorphic robot assassin created by Blackwolf, sent to assassinate Avatar. However, Necron 99 fails in his mission, killing the President/Elinore’s father, just before Avatar disables him. After bringing Necron 99, now called Peace, back to life the compatriots set off on their mission.

Weehawk, Elinore, Avatar, and Necron 99/Peace

Along their journey, a group of forest fairies accosts the four main characters after another assassin kills a fairy named Sean, played by Mark Hamill in his theatrical debut. Avatar and Elinore are quickly captured by the fairies. After a short conflict between the fairies and Elinore, Avatar comes to Elinore’s rescue by impressing the fairy king with his magic. However, the fairy king transports Avatar and Elinore to a snowy mountain, where they wander in circles until Weehawk and Peace find them. After rescuing Avatar and Elinore from their confusion, the four continue on their journey until they meet the elven army amassed to confront Blackwolf and his army of mutant goons.

Sean, the fairy played by Mark Hamill

The scenes that follow are a compendium of animated and rotoscoped battles that are the hallmark of this film. Bakshi discusses using this technique in the DVD extra features as a necessity, “I needed another $150,000 to finish the final battle. I didn’t have it. Here I thought the film was finished. I ended up using stock footage. It turned out better than if I had ever animated it. It was dark. It was everything that Blackwolf was about.” And dark it is. Nothing demonstrates the darkness that Blackwolf represents than his speech where he tells his followers, “Attention leaders of tomorrow's master race…The key to creating hysteria is fear, gods.” While there are scenes of Nazis and World War Two battles throughout the film, as Blackwolf uses this ancient propaganda to motivate his army, it is the final battle scenes that drive home the insanity that such things can instill in the human soul.

Blackwolf's army responding to his propaganda

The final battle scenes are a heady mélange of animation and rotoscoping that show the snarling fervor which motivates Blackwolf’s army. These are some of the most powerful battle scenes one can encounter in a fantasy film, as they place the audience in the middle of the chaos. And then, almost as sudden as these scenes jut in, the audience is thrust back into the calm that is the interior of Blackwolf’s fortress for the showdown between Avatar and Blackwolf.

Punctuating the final battle is the verbal exchange between Avatar and Blackwolf, where Avatar tells Blackwolf he is glad Blackwolf changed his last name. Afterward, Avatar offers to show Blackwolf one last trick. The “trick” that follows is more of Bakshi’s wry humor. As Avatar states he has not used magic in quite some time (despite using it previously throughout the film), he pulls a pistol from his sleeve, shooting Blackwolf twice. This ends the battle as the death of Blackwolf and destruction of the projector leads to the scattering of the mutants. With peace restored to the land, Weehawk returns home, while Avatar and Elinore head off to start a life together.

This gritty, yet wholesome ending makes Wizards one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. And it is only from the mind of Ralph Bakshi that we would get such a rich fantasy world. Wizards is great, not because the film has the latest in cutting edge film and animation techniques for the time. But because it is a tale that is timeless in its blending of fantasy tropes with modern (for its time) technology. This makes the film feel distant, yet familiar to the viewer as the story weaves together the narrative that love, generosity, magic, and diversity can overcome evil and supremacist attitudes. The film does this, while also being prescient in recognizing that terrorism, ecological disaster, division, and the use of propaganda would become the greatest threats to humanity's future. I would encourage anyone that loves fantasy, film or print, to add this to their collection.

For more Star Wars and Wizards crossover stories, see the article below:

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About the Creator

Atomic Historian

Heavily irradiated historian developing my writing career. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. To help me create more content, leave a tip or become a pledged subscriber. I also make stickers, t-shirts, etc here.

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