Since the video pipeline is not exactly cluttered with family fare, one's hopes are automatically raised at the prospect of a "PG" film for everyone. Surprisingly, this infectious jewel comes close to fitting the bill. Made on a shoestring budget by stop-motion animation virtuoso Mike Jittlov, this very anti-Hollywood film lampoons the film industry to the point of overkill (it's only real flaw). Jittlov, who wrote and directed, plays himself, an aspiring filmmaker whose house looks like a storeroom for Toys 'R Us. Little mechanical doodads are hopping and whirring all over the place. Jittlov rides what appears to be a supersonic ten-speed, which he finally has to sell in order to raise money for his film (he switches to riding a supersonic briefcase). As he struggles to complete a short film for a pair of battling movie moguls, Jittlov enlists the aid of several helpers who serve as his crew. What this is all leading up to is the short on which the feature film is based: "The Wizard of Speed and Time" which won prizes at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Miami International Film Festival, the Aspen Film Festival, and was a finalist for an Academy Award nomination. This incredible burst of stop-motion animation energy is worth the price of the film alone. Adults may find some of the humor corny, but kids are guaranteed to love the wizard. Recommended.
The Wizard of Speed and Time
(1982) 92 min. PG. $89.95. SGE Home Video. Library Journal
The Wizard of Speed and Time
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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