Fire and Ice

The 80s were a wonderful time for sci-fi and sword and sorcery fantasy movies. Frank Frazetta is an incredible artist, and Ralph Bakshi animator and unique film maker. The combination of them both coming together for this film is epic for me. I've been a enormous fan of Frank Frazetta's artwork for a very long time. And I always found Ralph Bakshi's work to be unique. Fire and Ice from 1983 drip with pure 80s fantasy fun. The story is simplistic but primal. It's good vs evil. We have a villain (Nekron) with major issues, along with an evil mother (Juliana ) who lives vicariously through her son, and his strong abilities in telekinesis to take over the known world with their ice kingdom (Icepeak) and horde of minions. There's a young man (Larn) whose village and people are destroyed by Nekron's ice kingdomand. Leaving Larn the sole survivor of his clan. He wants justice for what has been done to his people. Along the way he meets a princess (Teegra) who has been kidnapped from her kingdom (Firekeep) and dealing with Nekron's henchmen. Escapes, losses, and betrayls ensue. There are also many wild and dangerous creatures that roam this world. Larn and Teegra are soon separated. But luck is on their side when Larn comes across a saged warrior (Darkwolf) who aids Larn in his quest to save Teegra and also get revenge and justice for his people. Darkwolf also has a score to settle with Nekron and his mother. With the help of Teegra's father, King Jarol, and Firekeep, Nekron may finally be stopped with his domination. A villain with an empire of ice, a young hero, a princess, a saged warrior, a king with the power of fire and lava collide. It's a classic story. I find the animation to be excellent. The colors vibrant. The environment in which the characters live is lush and exciting. I think rotoscoping in animation is almost a lost art. I rarely see it today. I've always been impressed by it. I think Fire and Ice is an adventure of great fun. Was th8s film trying to win an oscar for best movie?? No. Was it trying to be political or have a message? No. Was it a fun roller-coaster of a joyride into the realm of sword, sorcery, and fantasy? YES !!!!!! And it has many avid fans who enjoy the ride.

I always did love Frank Frazzetta's eye-popping art work, and this movie certainly shows it to the nth degree. The plot, is pretty straightforward. For those familiar with Conan the Barbarian, this is something similar. Nekron, the Mage lord and Master of Ice Keep uses his powers to push his glacial kingdom southward in order to take over and destroy all who oppose him. He does have a problem. The only king to stand against him is Jerol, the Ruler of FireKeep. Nekron's plan is to subjugate FireKeep by kidnapping his daughter, Teegra. However,plans do go slightly awry as Teegra manages to escape and encounters Larn, a youth from a village destroyed by Nekron's ice. When they encounter a monstrous water beast Larn is injured and Teegra recaptured by Nekron's "Dogs" the subhuman people who serve him. Larn encounters DarkWolf,a mysterious warrior who also seeks revenge on Nekron and is helped by him. Teegra again escapes but is found by Roliel, a beautiful witch who lives in the forest.Roliel attempts to bargain with the Dog soldiers, but she and her son are killed and Teegra is taken at last to Ice Keep, where she is offered as a bride to Nekron. Spurned by Nekron, she is literally tossed aside where she discovers later to her horror, that her brother and his small entourage are dead and tossed in with her. Larn attempts to find Teegra but is captured and imprisoned by Nekron and it is Teegra who finds him and he manages to escape, but loses Teegra in the process. He and DarkWolf meet up and head to FireKeep to warn Jerol that Nekron is coming. Mounted on Dragonhawks, DarkWolf and Larn return to lead an attack on IceKeep and while Larn finally finds Teegrs, DarkWolf attacks Nekron to exact his own vengeance.Because the glacier is so close to FireKeep, Jerol releases the lava.Do Larn and DarkWolf escape? Does Teegra get back home? If you can find this movie, then you'll know. I still like animation before computers took over, and while CGI can be pretty impressive,old school hand drawn had its charms and rotoscoping was as close as one could get to real life, unless it was stop motion film work, because it took from real life. Stunt people did the action which was laboriously transferred to screen and what we see is taken from the work that everyone did.Bakshi was an innovator at a time when animated films were "Family pictures" only and Disney had a stranglehold on the G-rated realm.Films like "Fritz the Cat" "Heavy Metal" and "Fire and Ice" were not meant at all for children, and therefore had fewer constraints. Now, they might seem somewhat tame,but for many, these midnight movies, still hold the appeal they once did because they broke the mold and proved that animation could be more than just a place for the kiddies to go and play. Adults could go there too.

as described

I put off purchasing this for a long time because I was skeptical about a relatively high price for a 1080p Blu-ray with such a basic presentation. Despite the $5 bargain-bin appearance, I was honestly shocked by how good the video transfer it. Colors are stunning, clarity is sharp and brings out all the animators' pencil lines and painters' brush strokes, and noise and grain feel natural and appropriate for a 80s era film. It's clear someone mastered this with love. Story and voice acting are what you'd expect from a period sword & sorcery B-movie. Not bad, not great. Fans of Frazetta girls will not be disappointed even if the flat cel-shaded, rotoscoped animation fails to bring out the best in the character designs. If you've seen a Bakshi film you know what to expect. The backgrounds are simply stunning and, unlike many similar live-action movies from the time, truly allow the film to rise to epic fantasy level. It's unfortunate this is the best version of the movie available. As good as the watching experience is, it deserves better packaging and presentation. The rotoscoped animation (as an animator myself, not a fan) can sometimes be jarring and break immersion. These drag the Blu-ray down a star but it is still a must-have for fans of the genre or Frazetta and fans of all animation.

One of my favorite movies and favorites in my collection

La película es un clásico de la animación en toda regla, podría tildarse de excepcional en su desarrollo, con ese sistema tan particular de la rotoscopia. La edición es muy llamativa, caja metálica y con relieve sobrecubierta de cartón, un imán con el título, imágenes de la película de buena calidad, vamos que cosas así son las que tienen que estar en las videotecas. Compra maestra. Saludos.

Fire and Ice DVD released 30th October 2006 by Optimum Home Entertainment and Studio Canal. This classic epic animated-film is a tale of Good versus Evil, and is similar to Conan The Barbarian. Fire (volcanic-lava) versus Ice (glacier). Lord Nekron and his mother Queen Juliana, seek to dominate the world from their Castle Ice-Peak (glacier) using glaciers, and attack King Jarol and his son Prince Taro in their Fortress Fire-Keep (volcano), and in the process, the sub-humans abduct Princess Teegra (daughter of King Jarol, sister of Prince Taro). The lone-warrior Larn seeks to rescue Princess Teegra, and is assisted by the lone-horseman Darkwolf. This is a dramatic and epic tale, with excellent and dramatic music (composed and conducted by William Kraft). This is a sexy-film, and Princess Teegra is scantily-clad through-out. This film is suitable for both teenagers and adults. The characters were created by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. The screen-play by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Produced and Directed by Ralph Bakshi (who was responsible for the animated-film: Lord of The Rings - 1978). Original release-date 1982 by Producers Sales Organization and Polyc International B.V. The DVD back-cover states the running-time as 89 mins. approx. The DVD front-cover-art depicts Darkwolf, Princess Teega, Larn, and sub-humans. Award 5 Stars!

A real tribute to Frank Frazetta. If you are a fan of Frazetta's work you will really appreciate this animated movie. From the opening stills you can get a grasp of his style and see the connection Ralph Bakshi has made to the production of this feature.The 'Death Dealer' personna, riding in the backround at first and then becoming the primary force in this battle of 'Good vs Evil', is straight from one of Frazetta's most famous posters. The animation and art work are superb (by 1980's standards) and the DVD release really brings out the colors and details missing from most of the VHS tapes I've viewed over the last twenty-plus years. The movie is relatively short, at 80 minutes, and is packed with action from start to finish. You will not be bored. The fast pace allows you to skip by the 'lame' sections of the story quickly and move on to the more interesting parts that will grip you and provide an overall satisfying experience by the end of the movie.

Película clásica de animación de los 80's fruto de la imaginación de dos monstruos como Ralph Bakshi y Frank Frazetta. De culto absoluto. Audio en inglés con subtitulado en español y francés.

Bellissimo film d'animazione semisconosciuto degli anni '80. Appartenente al genere sword and sorcery/heroic fantasy che spopolò dopo il successo di Conan il barbaro. Uno stregone che controlla i ghiacci avanza verso sud, congelando tutto sul suo cammino. Arrivato ai confini del regno del fuoco fa rapire la principessa. La ragazza, durante una fuga, conoscerà un biondo ragazzo, che insieme ad un guerriero ricoperto da una pelle di lupo cercheranno di salvarla ed uccidere lo stregone. Trama generalmente banale, ma un gran bel film da vedere assolutamente.