Wizards (1977)

PG | 80 mins | Adventure | 9 February 1977

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HISTORY

The animated film opens with the following onscreen and narrated statement: “An illuminating history bearing on the everlasting struggle for world supremacy fought between the powers of technology and magic.”
       Voice actor Mark Hamill's surname was misspelled "Hamil" in the end credits.
       According to DV production charts on 13 Jun 1975, principal photography began 5 May 1975 in Los Angeles, CA. The 25 Jan 1977 HR review noted that writer-producer-director Ralph Bakshi used a variety of techniques, including computer animation and traditional animation, along with live-action footage.
       An 8 Sep 1976 LAT news item stated that distributor Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. was considering delaying the film’s planned Oct 1976 release under the working title, War Wizards, in order to “mount a larger promotional campaign later in the year.” A 15 Dec 1976 DV article announced the film was to be released Feb 1977 as Wizards.
       A 23 Feb 1977 DV article reported that the film opened 9 Feb 1977 in twenty-five theaters, located primarily in college towns and other youth markets where Bakshi had developed a following by delivering campus lectures.
       The 2 Mar 1977 LAT review called the film, “a feast for the eyes, a nonstop succession of imaginings and imageries that are beautiful, startlingly funny, powerfully ominous, classically cartoonish, visions of heaven and hellfire.” ...

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The animated film opens with the following onscreen and narrated statement: “An illuminating history bearing on the everlasting struggle for world supremacy fought between the powers of technology and magic.”
       Voice actor Mark Hamill's surname was misspelled "Hamil" in the end credits.
       According to DV production charts on 13 Jun 1975, principal photography began 5 May 1975 in Los Angeles, CA. The 25 Jan 1977 HR review noted that writer-producer-director Ralph Bakshi used a variety of techniques, including computer animation and traditional animation, along with live-action footage.
       An 8 Sep 1976 LAT news item stated that distributor Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. was considering delaying the film’s planned Oct 1976 release under the working title, War Wizards, in order to “mount a larger promotional campaign later in the year.” A 15 Dec 1976 DV article announced the film was to be released Feb 1977 as Wizards.
       A 23 Feb 1977 DV article reported that the film opened 9 Feb 1977 in twenty-five theaters, located primarily in college towns and other youth markets where Bakshi had developed a following by delivering campus lectures.
       The 2 Mar 1977 LAT review called the film, “a feast for the eyes, a nonstop succession of imaginings and imageries that are beautiful, startlingly funny, powerfully ominous, classically cartoonish, visions of heaven and hellfire.”

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SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Box Office
21 Feb 1977
---
Daily Variety
13 Jun 1975
---
Daily Variety
15 Dec 1976
---
Daily Variety
23 Feb 1977
---
Hollywood Reporter
25 Jan 1977
p. 3, 6
Los Angeles Free Press
4 Mar 1977
---
Los Angeles Times
8 Sep 1976
---
Los Angeles Times
2 Mar 1977
p. 1
Motion Picture Prod Digest
20 Apr 1977
---
New Times
10 Jun 1977
---
New York Times
21 Apr 1977
p. 22
Newsweek
9 May 1977
---
Time
6 Jun 1977
---
Variety
2 Feb 1977
p. 24
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
PRODUCTION COMPANY
PRODUCTION TEXT
A Ralph Bakshi Film
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTOR
PRODUCER
WRITER
FILM EDITORS
Negative cutter
MUSIC
Mus comp and cond
SOUND
VISUAL EFFECTS
Titles
PRODUCTION MISC
Prod coord
Prod coord
Prod coord
Prod coord
Asst to prod
ANIMATION
layout
Seq anim
Illustrated histories
Background des
Background
Background supv
Anim dir
Martin B. Taras
Anim
Asst anim
Asst anim
Asst anim
Backgrounds
Backgrounds
Backgrounds
Backgrounds
Col models
Anim eff
Ink and paint
Ink and paint
Ink and paint
Alison A. Victory
Ink and paint
Ink and paint
Ink and paint
Anim checker
Final checker
Final checker
Final checker
Final checker
Cel reproductions
Cel reproductions
Anim prod mgr
Anim cam
COLOR PERSONNEL
Col by
DETAILS
Alternate Title:
War Wizards
Release Date:
9 February 1977
Premiere Information:
Los Angeles opening: 2 Mar 1977; New York opening: 20 Apr 1977
Production Date:
began 5 May 1975
Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
9 February 1977
LP46951
Physical Properties:
Sound
Color
Animation
Duration(in mins):
80
MPAA Rating:
PG
Country:
United States
Language:
English
SYNOPSIS

In the distant future, Earth is divided into “good” and “bad” areas, the result of a nuclear firestorm set ten million years earlier by five terrorists. When sunlight finally shined through the radioactive clouds, only a few humans survived. The rest morphed into mutants, who inhabited the bad areas of the planet. In the good land of Montagar, fairies, elves, and dwarves, humanity’s true ancestors, returned and prospered. Delia, Queen of the Fairies, presided over a feast celebrating 3,000 years of peace, but dark clouds appeared in every direction, and Delia fell into a trance, giving birth to twin wizards. Avatar, a good wizard, spent his childhood entertaining his ailing mother, while his brother, Blackwolf, a mutant wizard, tortured small animals and never visited. Many years later, Delia died and Blackwolf coveted her throne. In an epic battle, Avatar defeated Blackwolf, who vowed to return one day and exact his revenge. Three-thousand years later, Blackwolf is the führer of Scortch, located in the dark lands, and he informs his minions that it is time for his return to Montagar. He dispatches a team of assassins to precede him and to kill those who believe in love and magic. Meanwhile, the President of Montagar, his daughter, Elinor, the Fairy Goddess of the New World, and her tutor, the wizard Avatar, plan their defense against Blackwolf’s encroaching armies. A robot, Necron Ninety-nine, assassinates the President and then is vanquished by Avatar. Although science and technology were banned millions of years earlier, Blackwolf has discovered some ancient technology, which he uses to grow his war machine. However, he is frustrated when his forces lack the inspiration to defeat the citizens of Montagar. ...

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In the distant future, Earth is divided into “good” and “bad” areas, the result of a nuclear firestorm set ten million years earlier by five terrorists. When sunlight finally shined through the radioactive clouds, only a few humans survived. The rest morphed into mutants, who inhabited the bad areas of the planet. In the good land of Montagar, fairies, elves, and dwarves, humanity’s true ancestors, returned and prospered. Delia, Queen of the Fairies, presided over a feast celebrating 3,000 years of peace, but dark clouds appeared in every direction, and Delia fell into a trance, giving birth to twin wizards. Avatar, a good wizard, spent his childhood entertaining his ailing mother, while his brother, Blackwolf, a mutant wizard, tortured small animals and never visited. Many years later, Delia died and Blackwolf coveted her throne. In an epic battle, Avatar defeated Blackwolf, who vowed to return one day and exact his revenge. Three-thousand years later, Blackwolf is the führer of Scortch, located in the dark lands, and he informs his minions that it is time for his return to Montagar. He dispatches a team of assassins to precede him and to kill those who believe in love and magic. Meanwhile, the President of Montagar, his daughter, Elinor, the Fairy Goddess of the New World, and her tutor, the wizard Avatar, plan their defense against Blackwolf’s encroaching armies. A robot, Necron Ninety-nine, assassinates the President and then is vanquished by Avatar. Although science and technology were banned millions of years earlier, Blackwolf has discovered some ancient technology, which he uses to grow his war machine. However, he is frustrated when his forces lack the inspiration to defeat the citizens of Montagar. Blackwolf uses an old motion picture projector to show Nazi propaganda films in order to motivate his apathetic troops. Meanwhile, in Montagar, Avatar learns of Blackwolf’s “dream machine” from Necron Ninety-nine, whom he has reprogrammed and renamed “Peace.” Avatar tells Elinore and Weehawk that the “Dream machine” must be destroyed. At his castle, Blackwolf fathers a son with his blue queen, and plans to rule the world. Avatar, Elinore, and Weehawk, led by Peace, set out for Scortch and enter an enchanted forest ruled by fairies. When Blackwolf’s assassins attack, a fairy leader named Sean is killed, the robot Peace disappears, and the fairies take Elinore hostage to the Fairy Sanctuary. Weehawk falls into a chasm, where he finds Peace, and Avatar locates the sanctuary. As Avatar explains to the fairy king that Blackwolf is responsible for Sean’s death, an assassin’s arrow wounds the wizard. The fairy king decrees that the fairies will release Elinore and will neither help nor hinder their quest to reach Scortch. Resuming their journey, Avatar and Elinore travel through a snow-covered landscape, where they are reunited with Weehawk and Peace. The group passes through villages devoid of males, who have left to join Blackwolf’s army. Upon reaching the desert, Avatar encounters an old friend, a dwarf general named Abdul, who is planning to attack Blackwolf using weapons seized from Blackwolf’s troops. Avatar decries Abdul’s plans and advocates for non-violence. Peace saves Avatar from another assassin, but Elinore inexplicably slays the robot and jumps into one of Blackwolf’s tanks. Thinking she is a traitor, Avatar is heartbroken, but Weehawk convinces him that they must continue their mission. Weehawk and Avatar travel with Abdul by boat to Scortch. Abdul’s army attacks Scortch and a bloody battle ensues as Avatar and Weehawk slip into Blackwolf’s castle. As Avatar confronts his brother, Weehawk locates Elinore. She explains that Blackwolf has been controlling her actions. Avatar announces he will demonstrate a magic trick his mother taught him during his childhood when Blackwolf was not around. Instead, he pulls a gun from his cloak and kills Blackwolf. The castle crumbles, the projector is destroyed, and the war ends. Elinore declares Weehawk the new King of Montagar and she and Avatar plan to marry and start a new kingdom.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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