History WesternAnimation / Wizards

* StealthPun: A subtle, slow-burn example. At the end of the movie, Avatar says "I'm glad you changed your last name, you ''son of a bitch''!" If Blackwolf's name is read as two words, his last name is wolf... and female wolves are called bitches.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: The outfit worn by Elinore is ridiculously so, complete with clearly-visible nipples. Lampshaded at least once by a line of dialogue from Avatar.

* PostApocalypticGasmask: The "generic" mutants all wear coveralls and gas masks. (It's hard to tell but a couple of cutscenes seem to imply that their '''faces''' are gas mask-shaped!)

* PuttingOnTheReich: Blackwolf's regime rapidly turns into Nazi Germany IN A FANTASY SETTING!, complete with swastika banners, German uniforms, German weaponry, panzers, planes, and old propaganda films of Hitler. Blackwolf's official title is "fuhrer", and he calls the mutants "leaders of tomorrow" and the "Master Race." At the end, the narrator even states that "Hitler was dead again."

* RockBeatsLaser: Averted. When the last few heroic survivors of the free nations get together an army and launch a desperate final strike against the enemy, knowing that they are the last hope to save the world... they are almost completely slaughtered by artillery, planes, tanks, and machine guns. Although an earlier scene establishes they have access to guns and they put up a great fight -- they only start to lose because Blackwolf activates the film projector -- if not for [[spoiler: Avatar shooting Blackwolf]], they would have been exterminated to a man.
** One of the veterans comments Blackwolf's army lost about one million soldiers in a previous invasion. Meaning that even with swords and arrows against guns, the elves army won because Blackwolf's soldiers are easily distracted. The Empire only began winning after Blackwolf found [[spoiler:the projection machine showing the Nazi film used to empower his army.]]

* {{Rotoscoping}}: In several scenes, particularly the climactic battle scene, footage from ''Film/{{Zulu}}'' is used, but painted over to create a {{Chiaroscuro}} effect. In some cases fantastic flourishes such as horns or glowing eyes were added.

* OurFairiesAreDifferent: They have just about every kind of fairy imaginable. You have the typical ones, ones ranging in insectoid appearance, a couple of fairies that look like they were drawn by Creator/AndyWarhol, Elinore, and Avatar who looks more like a dwarf than a fairy, and Blackwolf who looks more like a lich. Interestingly enough, their mother, a fairy, has a trait that comes from another mythological creature known as a Satyrus.
* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: Apparently his daughter is a princess (and later queen). Her and her mother might be from a neighboring kingdom, with Avatar as the local king with no interest in ruling.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: When Avatar accidentally mounts his horse the wrong way round at the start of their quest, he wonders if he packed his scotch.

* LifeDeathJuxtaposition: The narrator describes Avatar and Blackwolf as being diametric opposites. Avatar is a FriendToAllLivingThings who grows up looking kind of like one of Tolkien's dwarves. Blackwolf, on the other hand, grows up to be a dour zombie-like wizard with an affinity for Nazi propaganda. Avatar lives in the verdant lands among the fairies and elves, while Blackwolf lives in a nuclear wasteland called [[{{Mordor}} Scortch]] among the wretched and shambling mutants.
* LoadBearingBoss: [[spoiler: When Blackwolf dies his lair collapses.]]
* LostAesop: Most people assume, probably due to the introduction at the beginning of the film, that the moral is ScienceIsBad. According to the commentary, it's actually a statement about propaganda (which both the good guys and bad guys use, but if you're too sympathetic to Avatar's faction's rhetoric of peace you might miss that his team's is subtler). The good guys have no problems using technology (namely, guns) when they have to. Though Avatar does state to the president of Montagar that "Even if we could impress our people with the danger, Science and technology were outlawed millions of years ago." This doesn't mean that ScienceIsBad, just that Avatar's side is at a disadvantage from their own propaganda-fueled rejection of technology.

* MagicalBarefooter: Avatar goes around barefoot, being a kind of hippie-elf. Avatar ultimately squares off against his EvilCounterpart brother Blackwolf, who wears cloth shoes or large socks. Also, Avatar's GirlFriday is the fairy Elinore, likewise barefoot, in contrast to Blackwolf's assassin Peace, who wears boots attached to his crimson onesie.

* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Elinore's father is a fairy ''president'' (even though she's called "princess"), while Blackwolf's title is... ah, "fuhrer".
* {{Hammerspace}}: At one point Elinore is wearing a poncho over her stripperiffic outfit, and pulls a sword out from beneath it.
* HandyFeet: Avatar frequently holds his cigars between his toes while smoking them. (Probably to keep his hands free for gesturing while talking.)

** Peace, love and pacifism are impractical when you're invaded by people who don't agree with you.

* HeelFaceBrainwashing: Somewhat peculiar case. [[spoiler:It's stated that [=Necron99=] is under painful grip of Blackwolf's black magic and his propaganda machine. Avatar instills the promise of life without pain and without fear so that he gets the motivation to fight this constant influence and regain his own will. Basically Avatar brainwashes him to want to be free which can be achieved only by joining Avatar.]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: Both sides of the conflict. Blackwolf calls mutants the master race, yet wishes to kill his unborn son for being one. The forces of magic hate and outlaw technology yet use it to some extent (telescopes, a conjured jukebox, metallurgy), and at the end [[spoiler: openly use firearms to fight the forces of Scortch. Even Avatar shoots Blackwolf with a handgun, albeit at great personal cost.]]
* ImprovisedGolems: When trying to escape the fairies, Elinore accidentally animates a gargoyle.

* DisneyDeath: PlayedWith in the infamous "They Killed Fritz" scene; when a soldier named Max thinks his pal Fritz is dead, he goes utterly ''ballistic'' over it--until Fritz gets up and calms him down, revealing it was just a scratch. Agitated by this, Max starts complaining about him, and then unintentionally shoots him, this time ''really'' killing him--and prompting Max to go nuts on the enemy yet again.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Avatar and Elinore both go barefoot throughout the movie; even when they end up on a glacier during a blizzard, Avatar conjures up a cloak for the nearly-naked Elinore, but ''still no shoes'' for either of them!
* DramaPanes: the film shows the EvilSorceror Blackwolf gazing out the window of his palace as his armies march north to attack the wood elves. Out of this same window, his film projector fills the sky with images from a Nazi war film, which fills his shambling minions with heart, and his opponents with dread.

* EvilIsSterile: A minor subplot involves the evil mutants' inability to create (healthy, sustainable) life.
* EvilSorcerer: Blackwolf.
* EyeScream: A couple of scenes, most notably when Weehawk shoots Necron 99's mount through the eye with an arrow. [[UnexplainedRecovery It got better, somehow.]]
* {{Expy}}: Avatar for Vaughn Bode's Cheech Wizard, though he does do more magic than "The Time Distortion Trick".

* FairySexy: Most fairy and elf women in this movie but particularly Elinore.

* GoodIsNotNice: Avatar has spent his whole life doing good deeds and willingly puts himself in danger to help others; however, he also smokes, drinks, and chases women.

* AdvertisedExtra: More of an “advertised supporting protagonist” but given that [=Necron 99=]/Peace is front and centre on most posters and dvd cases one would imagine him to be the main character instead of serving as a henchman to Blackwolf (initially) and a sidekick to Avatar (post HeelFaceTurn).[[spoiler: It’s even more jarring due to the fact that he is rather unceremoniously killed during the movie’s second act.]]

** As Ralph points out in the commentary, one of the messages of the film is that if Democracy lets its guard down, Fascism will be waiting just around the corner to rear its ugly head and take over, hence Blackwolf frequently uses Nazi propaganda.
** Also the film's theme of propaganda also played a role for the good races--save for Avatar and few others--as they consider [[ScienceIsBad any forms of technology is bad]] that bite them in the back as they suffered many defeats by technologically superior Blackwolf's army. Even Avatar pointed out their own follies in his WhatTheHellHero moment towards the surviving army, who used captured firearms in order to counteract their shortfalls.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Subverted. A point is made that the mutants of Scortch aren't that interested in random conquest and pillage. They lack the will to truly fight (who wouldn't, after war devastated the planet?), which is why their campaigns keep failing. This forces Blackwolf to study ancient propaganda techniques, to instill them with fighting spirit.
* AnimatedCreditsOpening: Starts inverting this with a live action book then explains the backstory in a more primitive, mostly non-moving animation.

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering: There is no possible way a film reel could last over two million years, including several nuclear explosions, in condition good enough to be used in a still useful film projector.

* BigBad: Blackwolf.

* BrilliantButLazy: Avatar is a very strong wizard, but regards the threat of his brother, the deaths of untold elves and the destruction of the entire world with an attitude that states he really just doesn't care anymore.
* ButNowIMustGo: At the end Avatar and Elinore decide to start their own kingdom and leave Weehawk to rule the old one.
* CainAndAbel: Avatar and Blackwolf.

* CombatPragmatist: Rather than wasting time with an argument [[spoiler:or an epic duel, Avatar (who made it clear earlier that he DoesntLikeGuns) simply shoots the BigBad as soon as he gets the opportunity]]. With regards to ''why'', [[spoiler:he says "no matter what happens, I will die anyway" shortly beforehand. He was heartbroken by Elinore's betrayal, and lost faith in his own philosophy. That is, until AFTER the shooting... Anyway, you have to watch the film very carefully]].
* CoversAlwaysLie: [=Necron 99=]/Peace is the sole focus of many posters and DVD cases, which would infer that he is the main character. In the movie, he’s a supporting protagonist[[spoiler: and dies about two-thirds of the way through]].

''Wizards'' is a 1977 animated ScienceFantasy film by Creator/RalphBakshi. It takes place in what is basically a StandardFantasySetting, except it's actually Earth way, way, waaaaay AfterTheEnd. It tells the story of a war between an army of nuclear mutants (former humans) and a coalition of humans and various fantasy races (who predated the existence of humans, their descendants, but only emerged from isolation after the catastrophe). Each group is led by one of the two titular Wizards, the brothers Blackwolf (the evil one) and Avatar (the good one). Can the swords and bows of the fantasy folk defend against the technology-based weapons -- and propaganda -- of the past?

Notable for featuring the early voice work of Creator/MarkHamill.

In late 2016, Ralph has announced a new project of his called ''Short Thoughts'', three one-minute shorts inspired by poetry vignettes from his previous films. One of the shorts is planned to be a follow-up to ''Wizards'', starring Max and Fritz.

* TakeThat: The scene with the priests could easily be one against organized religion. The priests start praying, their praying involving, among other things, dancing and spanking each other with sticks. At some point, one of Blackwolf's soldiers comments they have been praying for five hours. Not to mention they continue to do so [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene as the soldiers outside start gunning down their captives.]]

* INeedAFreakingDrink: When Avatar accidentally mounts his horse the wrong way round at the start of their quest, he wonders if he lacked his scotch.

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: In the films opening, Peace rides past a creature resembling a dinosaur.

* TakeThat: The scene with the priests could easily be one against organized religion. The priests start praying, their praying involving, among other things, dancing and spanking each other with sticks. At some point, one of Blackwolf's soldiers comments they have been praying for five hours.

* RealityEnsues: The Resistance Army fought with swords and arrows while The Empire fought with advanced weapons. Curbstomp in The Empire's favor.
** Sort of. One of the veterans comments Blackwolf's army lost about one million soldiers in a previous attempt. Meaning that even with swords and arrows against guns, the elves army won because Blackwolf's soldiers are easily distracted. The Empire only began winning after Blackwolf found [[spoiler:the projection machine showing the Nazi film used to empower his army.]]

* VillainousBadlandHeroicArcadia: The elves and faeries inhabit the wildernesses and green woods that were spared nuclear devastation in the war that ended human civilization, and it is here that Avatar and Elinore reside. The irradiated wastelands are home to misshapen mutants descended from humanity, many of whom dwell in the WretchedHive called Scortch. There, TheVillain Blackwolf launches his EvilPlan to overrun the world.

* AnAesop: Technology, like most other assets, isn't evil in and of itself, but merely becomes such when it's used for evil ends.

* AdvertisedExtra: More of an “advertised supporting protagonist” but given that [=Necron99=]/Peace is front and centre on most posters and dvd cases one would imagine him to be the main character instead of serving as a henchman to Blackwolf (initially) and a sidekick to Avatar (post HeelFaceTurn).[[spoiler: It’s even more jarring due to the fact that he is rather unceremoniously killed during the movie’s second act.]]

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: [=Necron99=]/[[spoiler:Peace]] is enduring one with Blackwolf the entire movie.

* CoversAlwaysLie: [=Necron99=]/Peace is the sole focus of many posters and DVD cases, which would infer that he is the main character. In the movie, he’s a supporting protagonist[[spoiler: and dies about two-thirds of the way through]].

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:[=Necron99=], one of Blackwolf's top assassins, joins Avatar's side early in the film, taking the name 'Peace'.]]

* SimpletonVoice: [=Necron99=] doesn't really sound as menacing as his reputation makes him out to be.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: the scene with the priests.

* AdvertisedExtra: More of an “advertised supporting protagonist” but given that Necron99/Peace is front and centre on most posters and dvd cases one would imagine him to be the main character instead of serving as a henchman to Blackwolf (initially) and a sidekick to Avatar (post HeelFaceTurn).[[spoiler: It’s even more jarring due to the fact that he is rather unceremoniously killed during the movie’s second act.]]

* CoversAlwaysLie: Necron99/Peace is the sole focus of many posters and DVD cases, which would infer that he is the main character. In the movie, he’s a supporting protagonist[[spoiler: and dies about two-thirds of the way through]].

* AdvertisedExtra: More of an “advertised supporting protagonist” but given that Necron-99/Peace is front and centre on most posters and dvd cases one would imagine him to be the main character instead of serving as a henchman to Blackwolf (initially) and a sidekick to Avatar (post HeelFaceTurn).[[spoiler: It’s even more jarring due to the fact that he is rather unceremoniously killed during the movie’s second act.]]

* CoversAlwaysLie: Necron-99/Peace is the sole focus of many posters and DVD cases, which would infer that he is the main character. In the movie, he’s a supporting protagonist[[spoiler: and dies about two-thirds of the way through]].

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering: There is no possible way a film reel could last over two million years, including several nuclear explosions, in condition good enough to be used in a still useful film projector. Maybe a WizardDidIt?

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Blackwood spent his childhood torturing animals with magic.

* CollapsingLair: Blackwood's castle after he dies.

* KeystoneArmy: Most of Blackwood's LegionsOfHell fade away or crawl back to Hell after he's defeated.

* AfterTheEnd: At least two million years after the end, no less.