Essential
Summary
Filled with bog ogres, witches, flying creatures, and sorcery, it promotes heroism, richness in imagination, and artistry on a technical level in every way. The rotoscoped animation (where actors are filmed and artists draw over the images) is to my liking and gives the film a realistic texture not found in most animated films of its time. The foregrounds and background details aren’t as meticulously rendered as its characters, but no matter. We get a perfect idea of the nuances and tastes of the world it presents. This is Bakshi’s best fantastical work, and all fans of sword and sorcery motion pictures must see it.
“Don’t hunt for death, boy. It finds us all soon enough.”
Plot: In a world of swords and sorcery, a Fire Keep is under siege by an Ice lord.
Review: A meshing of creative talents – Ralph Bakshi (Wizards, The Lord of the Rings) and Frank Frazetta (iconic artist of Conan and Tarzan pulp book covers) – brings forth the underrated and nearly magnificent animated film Fire and Ice. In an ancient time two kingdoms are at war against each other: The Fire Keep, ruled by a peaceful king, and the Ice Palace, lorded over by an evil queen and her bored and callous son Nekron, who inflicts pain on the land on casual whims. Nekron’s mother Juliana (voiced by Susan Tyrrell) has the daughter of the king of Fire Keep kidnapped by her subhuman sentries to offer her as a gift to her son, and during the journey back to deliver her to their queen, the subhumans fumble at their job in securing their package. Teegra, the kidnapped maiden (clad only in what can only constitute as a very skimpy bikini), has to muster a new skill of survival as she breaks free of her bonds mid-trek through a swamp with her subhuman captors. Meanwhile, a young warrior named Larn has become a vagabond due to the fact that Nekron has slaughtered his village and people, and he inadvertently becomes Teegra’s companion and protector whilst in the swamp. Also in the mix is a Conan-like barbarian named Darkwolf, who is on his own mission to slay Nekron for reasons of his own. These three heroes must band together and defeat the powerful Nekron before the Fire Keep is overtaken by the Lord of the Ice Palace and the lands run eternally cold.
A suitable entertainment for kids, so long as their parents don’t become offended by appropriate amounts of fantasy violence, sexualized images (but no overt nudity or sexuality), and a serious tone, Fire and Ice is precisely the stuff that fantasy and pulp novels are all about. Filled with bog ogres, witches, flying creatures, and sorcery, it promotes heroism, richness in imagination, and artistry on a technical level in every way. The rotoscoped animation (where actors are filmed and artists draw over the images) is to my liking and gives the film a realistic texture not found in most animated films of its time. The foregrounds and background details aren’t as meticulously rendered as its characters, but no matter. We get a perfect idea of the nuances and tastes of the world it presents. This is Bakshi’s best fantastical work, and all fans of sword and sorcery motion pictures must see it. The score by William Kraft is adequate.
Blue Underground has pulled out all the stops for their new steelbook edition of Fire and Ice that comes with a 4K Ulra HD disc, a Blu-ray, and a CD soundtrack, plus tons of bonus material. First of all, the film has never looked or sounded better than it does here, so fans can gobble this one up and add it to their upgraded collection. Second, if you’ve never owned the soundtrack (previously available from Dragon’s Domain), this is a great place to score that. Finally, the steelbook itself is gorgeous, with a rad design that features the incredible artwork from the poster (by Frank Frazetta), as well as Bakshi’s designs on the inner case. So, this is a huge win any which way you consider it. It’s an MVD exclusive, so check out the MVD shop: https://mvdshop.com/products/fire-and-ice-steelbook-4k-uhd-exclusive?srsltid=AfmBOops4NK_FnSE0FIQVOWTqtNHebBSnNvZRrXIJJx02hkGI8U-5RD0
Bonus Materials
- Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) and HD Blu-ray (1080p) Widescreen 1.85:1 feature presentations
- Audio: Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD, 2.0 DTS-HD (English)
- Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
- Audio Commentary with Co-Producer/Director Ralph Bakshi
- NEW! The Art Of Fire And Ice: The Frank Frazetta Legacy with Sara Frazetta
- NEW! Frank Frazetta’s Fire And Ice with Robert Rodriguez
- The Making Of Fire And Ice
- Bakshi On Frazetta
- Sean Hannon’s Diary Notes
- Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
- NEW! Poster & Still Galleries
- BONUS! FIRE AND ICE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by William Kraft