Wizards!

I recently picked up a DVD version of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards. After watching it twice (once with Bakshi's very informative commentary and once without) and I have to say I've never enjoyed this film more. It looks outstanding on this DVD. I saw it in the theaters, I have it on VHS, but I've never seen the material as vivid or compelling as on this DVD. The Mike Ploog artwork which is used as sepia-toned stills to supply the history of the Wizard's world and some inbetween material looks lush and beautiful. The backgrounds are bright and even florescent at times. Maybe I'm in the right place for the satire right now, but I found the story really engaging for the first time ever. Usually I just drink in the images, but here I found the themes themselves more compelling. Bakshi is a frank and entertaining commentator on his own work and gives praise to those involved (including himself) and you can really tell he dislikes Walt Disney. There's also some added features on this DVD, a half-hour (or so) interview with Bakshi that is really enjoyable. There are the usual trailers and some production stills. All in all a good solid DVD package, with some really great comic book connections.

My favorite insider detail is that at one point the "hero" Avatar pronounces a spell invoking the names of "Krenkel, Morrow, and Frazetta" (spelled "krinkle, morrow, and frizeta" in the titles). Bakshi reveals this was an intentional homage to three of his fave comics artists. He gushes about comics and mentions most of the classic names we love here, especially Eisner.

Rip Off