Wizards

Maverick American animator Ralph Bakshi's 1977 futuristic fantasy—a mix of Tolkien-esque quest epic and '70s attitude set in the aftermath of the apocalypse—was the director's first attempt at a mainstream movie. The plot elements are simple: centuries after nuclear war has poisoned Earth, mutant monsters in the radioactive badlands are gathered into an army by a dark wizard named Blackwolf (voiced by Steve Gravers), which forces his good brother, Avatar (Bob Holt), to embark on an odyssey to stop Blackwolf and save the fairies and elves and other cute beings populating the reborn lands. Shot with a limited budget at a time when animated features were considered kid's stuff, it plays like a PG version of an underground comic book made for the big screen: Avatar is like Mel Brooks's 2000 Year Old Man in a pointed cap; his protégé Elinore (Jesse Welles) is a giggly, buxom fairy girl; Blackwolf is a walking corpse who turns to Hitler for inspiration; and robot assassin Peace (David Proval) comes right out of the imagination of legendary underground comics artist Vaughn Bode. Bowing on Blu-ray in an illustrated digi-book package, this 35th anniversary edition features audio commentary by Bakshi, the excellent interview featurette “The Wizard of Animation,” and a stills gallery. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)