Ralph Bakshi’s ‘Fire and Ice’: A Beautiful Yet Frustrating Fantasy Experience

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#3 in my ranking of Ralph Bakshi’s filmography.

Working together with Frank Frazetta, Ralph Bakshi ventured once more into the realm of epic fantasy with “Fire and Ice“, an average production that fails to introduce anything groundbreaking but showcases Frazetta’s art as more effectively utilized in static images rather than motion pictures. The film falls short of Bakshi’s worst productions, fully embracing his rotoscoping method and harmonizing with elaborate backdrops, yet the storyline lacks cohesion, focusing on brief episodes of minimal danger instead of escalating towards a climactic final battle. Penned by comic book authors Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, this film was financially unsuccessful, pushing Bakshi into television production for a decade.

In simpler terms, Nekron (Stephen Mendel) and his mother Juliana (Susan Tyrell) lead the icy realm, planning an attack on the fire-ruled lands governed by King Jarol (Leo Gordon). His daughter Teegra (Maggie Roswell), who’s learning within the tower, while her brother Taro (William Ostrander) defends the kingdom, is seized. When Nekron moves his icy palace into the fire lands, his troops overwhelm the barbarian guards, with one guard named Larn (William Ostrander) managing to escape, and as Darkwolf (Steve Sandor) watches indifferently from afar. As an emissary from Nekron negotiates surrender with King Jarol, some icy soldiers sneak into the tower, taking Teegra without allowing her a chance to dress fully, which is quite impolite.

Intriguingly, within a mere first quarter of this film, I found that almost the entire storyline was unfolded. What’s striking is how concise it all felt, even though it might seem sparse due to minimal dialogue exchanges. Essentially, it boils down to the bare essentials of the narrative, with very little room for complex character development or intricate subplots to complicate matters. As an admirer, I appreciate its straightforward approach and the focus on storytelling rather than excessive detail.

It seems fitting to revisit Bakshi and his animation style once more. While his skills may not be top-notch, rotoscoping proved to be an effective tool for him. By providing a quick solution to demonstrate motion in animation, rotoscoping allowed him to bypass some of the more significant flaws in his visual work approach. It’s important to note that Bakshi was operating on tight budgets, given his lofty aspirations. As a result, the designs in his feature films were less detailed than one might anticipate.

In a somewhat different phrasing, the review states that while the film employs rotoscoping, it falls short in delivering convincing visuals due to insufficient attention to detail, particularly in the areas of shading and shadows. This inconsistency is evident in instances where characters cast shadows, but these are brief and seemingly used only for dramatic effect (one example is a shot from a fireplace and another from lightning). However, when characters appear to float above the ground without casting a shadow or interacting with any surface elements, it contributes to an unrealistic feel that contradicts the purpose of using rotoscoping. This flawed execution often evokes memories of animation styles seen in “Star Trek: The Animated Series.” Overall, it’s disappointing to see such fundamental aspects overlooked in Bakshi’s eighth feature film.

In summary, Teegra escapes her captors and encounters Larn. They spend some time together, experience an awkward encounter, and find themselves in water where Larn battles a colossal squid. Unfortunately, Teegra is recaptured. There’s a series of rescue attempts, but ultimately, she winds up in Nekron’s icy palace, dismissing the notion of marriage. Later, Larn aligns with Jarol to plan an expedition into the icy palace, leading to a fight and eventual resolution.

This storytelling approach seems reminiscent of a modernized, more perceptive take on “Wizards“, albeit with a persistent lack of direction that results in certain scenes appearing inconsequential. However, the faithful adherence to the Frazetta art style ensures a harmonious visual atmosphere throughout the film. Instead of fluctuating erratically between hand-animation, rotoscoping, Xerox, and back, the movie maintains a visually pleasing consistency from start to finish.

The storyline might be slim, but the visual effects make up for it. In fact, it manages to hold its ground. The design is quite pleasing, however, watching Teegra run through diverse landscapes, barefoot and in her bikini, highlights the absurdity of the premise. It improves when still images are considered, especially Dejah Thoris’s striking appearance with a sword while John Carter and Tars Tarkas engage in battles against white apes. Interestingly enough, the poster for Fire and Ice appears more attractive than the entire film (which you can watch in full right below).

Is this satisfactory? Not really. Does it provide enjoyment? Somewhat. Bakshi has undoubtedly created worse pieces, and the addition of Frazetta’s design offers some minor improvement to his filmmaking. However, there remains a fragmented storyline that might originate from writers who are more accustomed to shorter formats than a full-length movie. Yet, it’s far less perplexing compared to something like Wizards.

Rating: 2/4

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2025-02-17 00:30