First of all, an update: upon further research I found Ralph Bakshi directed a live action TV film, bringing his feature film output to a total of 10. This review series is mainly interested Bakshi's animation work and The MacMahonian don't normally review TV films, but for the sake of completeness the aforementioned will be included in this retrospective, of which today the 5th instalment.
It being Wizards, which tells the story of mutant brother sorcerers Avatar (good) and Blackwolf (bad) and their fight for planetary domination after 3.000 years of peace and harmony under fairy queen Delia. After much man, mutant and elven battle assisted by black and white magic (spoiler alert) good prevails, although refreshingly it does so by virtue of a low blow.
Wizards witnesses a 180º change in subject matter in Bakshi's filmography, from NY soft-gore-core-punk-jive to post-apocalyptical sword and sorcery, and it weathers the change surprisingly effortlessly, the animation switching style and toning down tone, backgrounds borrowing visibly from William Blake and the like, so much so that for the first 15 minutes or so I thought Wizards was a sort of Narnian yarn for pre-teens. Only later do good old Bakshian gore and lewd emerge, but suitably subdued to remain within the bounds of good taste and plot requirement, mostly, making the film a delightful incongruity bereft of stock or issue.
Speaking of plot, there is actually one, a first for Bakshi, and it is comparatively consistent, if the film is still carried by sketch rather than drama. Live action/toon mix, arguably the distinctive feature of Bakshi's style, is used sparingly but effectively, mostly in jazzed up nazi footage used to unsubtly illustrate Blackwolf's shenanigans, and is interesting mostly in retrospect, as a hints of stylistic developments to bloom in Bakshi's next film, to be reviewed presently.