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This epic tale follows the adventure of Avatar, a kindly, old, mildly cantankerous wizard and ruler of Montegar (a utopian land of elves and faeries set in a post-apocalyptic era on Earth).
Avatar engages in a struggle against his evil twin brother, Blackwolf, who rules Scortch (a desolate wasteland) and has unearthed destructive holocaust technologies to use in his campaign to conquer the lands of the faery. Avatar is drawn into this conflict by an attempt to assassinate him. He subdues the assassin and dubs him Peace. Then Avatar, his faery princess, an elf warrior, and Peace undertake their trek to Scortch.
Features the voices of Mark Hamill, Peter Hobbs , Bob Holt ,
Barbara Sloane and many others. Narrated by Susan Tyrrell. Also includes the voice of Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler ( April 20, 1889 April 30, 1945) was the Fuhrer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers' Party and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. In that capacity he was Chancellor of Germany, head of government, and head of state, ruling as a from historical archive footage of Nazi propagandaNorth Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the Capitol building. This article is about the type of communication. For other meanings, see Propaganda (disambiguation). Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation, aimed at serving an age.Wizards is an allegoricalAn allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos "other", and αγορευειν, agoreuein "to speak in public") is a figurative representation conveying a meaning other than and in ad comment on the neutrality of technology and the potential destructive powers of propaganda. Blackwolf's secret weapon is propaganda, used to incite and motivate his legions and terrorize the good faerie folk. However, in the end it is Avatar's willingness to use a technological tool (a handgun pulled from "up his sleeve") which saves them all.
There is some ironyAdolf Hitler an example of visual irony Irony is a form of speech in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the words used. Irony involves the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem. Dramatic irony lies i in the effort of this movie to warn of the dangers of propaganda while, at the same time, using propaganda techniques to promote responsible use of technology.
The references to Hitler and the Nazi war machine are poignant, though somewhat unsubtle.
Although the animation is crude, a variety of inconsistent artistic styles are used throughout, and the production relies heavily on extensive narration, it is an compelling story with enough levity and humor to amuse and even captivate a wide range of viewers. Some have criticized Bakshi's use (or over-use) of rotoscopingA rotoscope is a device that enables animators to trace live action movement, frame by frame, for use in animation. It might be called a clumsy forerunner to digital motion capture. The device was invented by Max Fleischer, who used it in his series "Out in this and his other filmsFor other uses see film (disambiguation Film — also called movies the cinema the silver screen moving pictures motion pictures photoplays picture shows and flicks — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of the entertainment.
The low-budget production values are considered campy and charming by many viewers, especially in the demographicA demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. This typically involves age bands (as teenagers do not wish to purchse denture fixant), social class bands (as the r Bakshi seems to have targeted in his marketing.
Although it was written and produced in the mid-seventies, considerable hippy influence from the sixties is evident throughout the story. The faeries are depicted as peace-loving Luddites.