Blog Update

Hi. The blog is in serious need of updating (again), but, in the meantime, I did want to briefly post that Starz's Camelot is now available for purchase on DVD, Blu-ray, and iTunes.

Camelot on Starz

My apologies for the lack of postings this summer. I'm slowly catching up on things.

Earlier this year, the cable network Starz premiered Camelot, a new series based on the Arthurian legend. The series, which is due out on DVD in September, features both Merlin and Morgan le Fay as magic users, though comments by the series creator Chris Chibnall suggest innovate treatments of both their roles and their magical abilities, as hinted at in the following videos.

The Magic of Aladdin

The Disney animated feature film Aladdin is one that is filled with magic, most notably as worked by the characters of the Genie and Jafar.



The Genie uses his magic to aid Aladdin, the film's protagonist, and serves in the wizard's traditional role as guide. Jafar, on the other hand, is in the tradition of Disney wicked witches; he is the ill-intentioned counselor to the Sultan of Agrabah and uses his magic to usurp the throne and, later, the phenomenal powers of the Genie. Besides sharing a tutelary role, both the Genie and Jafar are adept at transformative magic. The Genie is an especially protean creature:



Jafar also displays skill in shape-shifting and borrows tricks from both the Evil Queen of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:



and Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty:

Jared in Labyrinth

Jared (played by David Bowie), the human-looking Goblin King, of Labyrinth , a film by Jim Henson, is another magic-user, though we never learn if his magic is innate due to his goblin nature or learned. He is essentially a male enchanter attempting to lure the human girl Sarah into his otherworldly realm:



The film was re-released to DVD and Blu-Ray recently as part of a 20th-anniversary edition that includes a commentary track by some of the filmmakers, and Tokyopop has produced a manga series, Return to Labyrinth, that continues the story.

Wizards of The Last Unicorn

Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn features three magic-wielding figures: Mommy Fortuna, an aged witch; Mabruk, a traditional-looking wizard; and Schmendrick, an untraditional mage. The three are primarily engaged in transformative magic, though Fortuna is also adept at creating illusions. The Last Unicorn was first published in 1968 and adapted into a feature film in 1982 and a comic book series in 2010; the film has been released to DVD as part of a recent 25th-anniversary edition and, now, a blue-ray edition with commentary by Beagle.

Narissa from Enchanted

Narissa, the magic-wielding antagonist from Enchanted, is a combination of preceding Disney villains, including the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Evil Stepmother from Cinderella, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Narissa is a wicked queen and stepmother plotting the downfall of her stepson and his bride to be, and she uses magic--borrowing tricks from both the Evil Queen and Maleficent--in an attempt to do away with the lovers.

Rafiki the Wizard?

Rafiki, a shaman-like character featured in The Lion King and its various paratexts, serves many of the functions of a traditional wizard in his role as adviser to kings and their children:



Despite a sex change, Rafiki continues this role in the stage adaptation of The Lion King. He also has magical abilities as detailed in the Timon and Pumba cartoon show.

Wizards of The Secret of NIMH

Directed by Don Bluth, The Secret of NIMH is an animated film, based on the novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien, that offers a skilful blending of fantastic and science-fictional themes. The two genres are united in the wizardly figure of Nicodemus, an evolved rat that possess foreknowledge, skills akin to technomancy, and shape-shifting abilities; he also serves, as I noted in "The Way of the Wizard," in the wizard's traditional role as mentor to the film's protagonists. Nicodemus's physical appearance further suits his role as wizard, and he is depicted as an aged figure in long, flowing robes; his alter ego, the Great Owl, shares some aspects of his wizard character, and is both aged and a guide figure.

The trailer for the film can be viewed on YouTube, and the complete film can be watched on Hulu.com and purchased on DVD from the usual vendors. Of note, a recent special edition released on DVD in 2007 includes commentary by the filmmakers,

Ursula in The Little Mermaid

The sea-witch Ursula wields her magic in both The Little Mermaid feature film and its stage version. As with the majority (if not all) of Disney mages, Ursula specializes in transformative magic, which she uses to plot against both King Triton, the ruler of sub-aquatic Atlantica, and his daughter Ariel. Ursula is clearly presented as wicked (like fellow Disney witches Maleficent, Mim, Narissa, and the Wicked Queen), but her evil is compounded by the fact, as revealed in paratexts to the original film, that Ursula is in fact Triton's sister--both are the children of Poseidon--and thus, Ariel's aunt. Ursula presents her raison d'être in the song "I Want the Good Times Back" (below) from the stage show, and works her magics in "Poor Unfortunate Souls", presented in its two incarnations.

Mary Poppins's Magic

Marry Poppins, based on the character created by P. L. Travers, represents yet another magic-user in the Disney film library, and her adventures have also been adapted for the stage in a musical that merges episodes from the film with additional elements from Travers's novels. Poppins seems to be a sort of witch, as Chris Cuomo argues in “Spinsters and Sensible Shoes: Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” and has a wide-range of powers and a collection of magical items. Like the other Disney mages, Poppins's magic is also transformative both physically and, albeit subtly, mentally, and, like many magic-users featured in children's stories, she serves as an educative force in her temporary stewardship of the Bank's family.

Tinker Bell as Magic-User

Created by J. M. Barrie, Tinker Bell, yet another fairy, also has magic powers as featured in various productions of Peter Pan (some included below), and, like Fairy Godmothers and Blue Fairies, her magic is (partially) transformative in that it allows the Darling children, Pan himself (one assumes), and Pan's other allies to fly. Tinker Bell is also important for her narrative role as Pan's cast-off "lover," which results in her actions against Wendy Darling, activities that almost cause the death of Pan and, very nearly Tinker Bell's own death. Tinker Bell's role is extended in continuations of Peter Pan, like Hook, Peter Pan and the Pirates, Peter Pan No Boken, Return to Never Land, and Disney's various Tinker Bell-themed direct-to-video productions. Further details on the character can be found on her Wikipedia page.

Magic-Users of Sid & Marty Krofft

Two children's television series by Sid & Marty Krofft also prominently featured magic-users.

First, H. R. Pufnstuf (1969-71) featured Billie Hayes as Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo, a hag-like witch in the tradition of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wicked Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The series' opening can be seen at YouTube at http://youtu.be/obxfuFrUTzg.

Later, Lidsville (1971-73) featured Charles Nelson Reilly in a dual role. First, he is Merlo the Great, the stage magician who performs in the series opening and whose hat forms the portal to the otherworld of Lidsville, and, then, he is Horatio J. HooDoo, the monster-like antagonist of the series who, like Merlo, dresses in the attire of a stage magician.

Yen Sid from Fantasia (1942)

The wizard Yen Sid (also addressed in "The Way of the Wizard") is another Merlin-like mage and likewise serves in a mentoring role.

The Pagemaster (1994)

The Pagemaster includes a Merlin-like wizard (spotlighted about :48 in) as the guide to the film's young protagonist, as I address in "The Way of the Wizard."

Pharaoh's mages from The Prince of Egpyt (1998)

Pharaoh's high priests (voiced by Steve Martin and Martin Short) invoke the gods of ancient Egypt in their attempt to use magic to challenge the miraculous powers of Yahweh wielded by Moses in DreamWork's The Prince of Egypt as this clip shows. The song is by Stephen Schwartz, who would later write the musical Wicked.

A Beautiful Enchantress from Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The Enchantress from Disney's Beauty and the Beast represents a more traditional magic-user. She is a version of the Loathly Lady of medieval romance and functions as a tester of the hero as the following illustrates:

The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella (1950)

Here's the second fairy-post. Both the Blue Fairy and the Fairy Godmother (as well as the fairies in Sleeping Beauty (more later) have similar narrative roles as helper/guider of the hero and possess transformative magic.

The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio (1940)

I'm still undecided if magic creatures, like fairies, can be considered Reel Wizards, but here is the first of two from Disney.

Blog Updates

It's been a while since I posted to the blog, and, while I hope to more in the near future, I am today any some links to our film list and some links to YouTube for appearances of classic film wizards.