Wizards (film) - Response and Legacy

Response and Legacy

Although Wizards received a limited release, it was very successful in the theaters that showed it, and developed a worldwide audience. According to Bakshi, he was once interviewed by a German reporter who was unsure as to why the Nazi Swastika was used to represent war. Bakshi said "I didn't get any criticism. People pretty much loved Wizards." Film website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 59%, considered "Rotten".

Audio clips from the film have been sampled by Toxik on the album Think This, Cypress Hill on the albums IV and Skull & Bones, and Vanilla Ice on Platinum Underground. and 65daysofstatic on the album Volume 1: Then We Take Japan.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment responded to an online petition created by Animation on DVD.com and written by Keith Finch demanding the film's release on DVD. The disc, released on May 25, 2004, featured an audio commentary track by Bakshi and the interview segment Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation. Bakshi has stated that Wizards was always intended as a trilogy. One of the sequels was pitched to Fox, who have yet to greenlight the project.

In late 2004, a Wizards II graphic novel went into production, produced by Bakshi. The stories will be from the Wizards "universe" and each story will be created by a different artist. In September 2008, it was announced that Main Street Pictures would collaborate with Bakshi on a sequel to Wizards.

20th Century Fox released a Special Edition Blu-ray of the film on March 13, 2012, to commemorate the film's 35th anniversary. The disc includes the special features from the DVD, but will also include a 24-page book including rare artwork from the film and an introduction from Bakshi.