I was watching a video on YouTube about the "wacky" animated fantasy films of the 80s, and it made me realize that this year marks the fortieth anniversary of Fire And Ice. Unlike the other fantasy films (both animated and live-action) that were released in the 1980s, Fire And Ice was notable because it was a collaboration between animated film director Ralph Bakshi (Fritz the Cat, Wizards) and noted fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta. Fire And Ice takes its inspiration more from the Conan the Barbarian stories (which Frazetta became first known for, having drawn the covers for them) rather than the Lord of the Rings. Bakshi was no stranger to J.R.R. Tolken’s works, having produced his own animated version of LOTR a few years prior.
Bakshi re-used his favorite form of animation, called rotoscoping, where actors are filmed onstage, and their actions on film are then hand-drawn, frame by frame, by an animator onto cells. This provides a far more realistic and gritty look than would be offered in a traditional animated film (at least back then), and it’s a technique that served the darker, bloodier story much better. The film was written by Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway--who also wrote the Conan The Barbarian comics for Marvel, and they did a very good job in crafting the story.
Taking place in a long-forgotten realm, the evil wizard Nekron sends giant icebergs south into the human realms, threatening Firekeep, ruled over by King Jarol. But before the icebergs even reach Firekeep, Nekron orders a delegation from his realm to make peace with Jarol. However, Nekron also sends a second team of warriors to Firekeep, and it’s their job to kidnap Teegra, the princess of Firekeep, in the hopes that her abduction will force Jarol to surrender. The cold-hearted fiends!
Fire And Ice is still an enjoyable watch for me after all of these years. Although a couple of things seem a bit off, like how they use the annoying trope of having an attacking character yell out before he charges, easily warning his enemy beforehand. And the film feels very over-sexed with Teegra, who runs around in a teeny weeny bikini--which may be fine for the tropical jungles of Firekeep, but she looks very chilly running through the ice and snow of the villains’ lair in that same scant outfit.
But the pterodactyl flight through the frozen halls of Icepeak is this movie’s version of X-Wing fighters attacking the Death Star, and it’s still pretty cool to watch. And the behind the scenes trivia is fascinating: the late artist Thomas Kinkade, whose Christmas ornaments have hung from many a tree, worked on the backgrounds on Fire And Ice. The creator of Aeon Flux, Peter Chung, was a layout artist, here. And James Gurney, the creator of the Dinotopia illustrated books, was another background painter.
Fire And Ice is a fun film for fans of the wild, visionary (and sexually charged) fantasy realms of the legendary Frank Frazetta, because it’s the only movie that really brought his vivid imagination to life. --SF
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