Fire and Ice

A glacier is advancing and the dark ruler in the north is freezing the continent. The fire kingdom in the south is the last point of resistance. An abducted princess, a young warrior whose village was destroyed and an archer with a hidden face stand against the ice. The story is built entirely on formula and does not hide it. The film is not interested in the screenplay. It is interested in the line itself: the whole thing was made by rotoscoping, with the movements first shot with real actors and then drawn over. The result is an unusually heavy, muscular sense of motion for animation. The form is fantasy illustration: the design carries the world of Frank Frazetta's book covers straight onto the screen, all rock, fur, muscle and steam. Ralph Bakshi directed and made the film together with Frazetta. He was known until then for animation aimed at adults; this is his most genre-driven production. It failed at the box office on release and found its audience later through video and cult screenings. Who it is for: viewers who like eighties fantasy animation and Frazetta's visual world. Who it is not for: anyone looking for story and character. The screenplay is very weak, the design of the female character is a problem throughout and there is almost no dialogue.