Fire and Ice: Steelbook – Blue Underground (4K UHD/Blu-ray/CD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1983
Director: Ralph Bakshi
Writers: Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas
Cast: Susan Tyrrell, Maggie Roswell, William Ostrander, Stephen Mendel, Steve Sandor

Release Date: June 30th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 81 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: PG
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English, Dolby Atmos English
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD, Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $69.95

"It began as a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between two of the greatest icons of the fantasy genre: Controversial animator Ralph Bakshi (director of Fritz the Cat, Wizards and the original The Lord of the Rings) and legendary illustrator Frank Frazetta (creator of the iconic Conan the Barbarian, Vampirella and Edgar Rice Burroughs book covers). It became - and remains - one of the most startling animation epics of all time. Now experience a world unlike any ever seen, where savage warriors, horrific monsters and luscious maidens battle for the soul of a civilization in a time of good and evil, pleasure and pain, and Fire and Ice." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Blue Underground is proud to present Fire and Ice in a brand-new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original negative, with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix!"

Fire and Ice comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 74.6 GB

Feature: 53.4 GB

The source looks excellent; it's a massive improvement over Blue Underground’s 2009 Blu-ray release. Colors look vibrant, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Fire and Ice comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.7 GB

Feature: 23.1 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (All Audio Tracks)

This release comes with three audio otpions, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and a Dolby Atmos mix in English. While you cannot go wrong with any of these tracks, you really should give the newly created Dolby Atmos track a listen. It is an immersive track that expands the original stereo source while retaining its essence. Included are removable English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include poster & still galleries: posters (15 images), German Lobby Cards (18 images), colors stills (34 images), Frazetta artwork portfolio (12 images), Bakshi artwork portfolio (22 images), sketches (41 images), animation cells & backgrounds (45 images), and video, comics & more (43 images), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Behind-the-Scenes photo gallery (13 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with music from the film and text in English), an archival featurette titled Sean Hannon’s Diary Notes (14 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Ralph Bakshi titled Bakshi on Frazetta (8 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette made during the film’s production tilted The Making Of Fire and Ice (13 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez titled Frank Frazetta’s Fire and Ice (7 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Sara Frazetta titled The Art of Fire and Ice: The Frank Frazetta Legacy (15 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with Ralph Bakshi.

The extras are the same on both discs.

Other extras include a steelbook packaging, a slipcover, a CD with William Kraft’s 21-track score for Fire and Ice, and an insert with a track listing for the CD.

Summary:

Ralph Bakshi directed Fire and Ice. He’s most known for Fritz the Cat, Wizards, The Lord of the Rings (1978), and American Pop. Fire and Ice is a collaboration between animator Ralph Bakshi and artist Frank Frazetta that combines animation cells and the use of rotoscoping for live-action moments. Frank Frazetta is most known for illustrating Conan and Edgar Rice Burroughs books and movie posters and album covers.

A barbarian warrior and a princess take on a power-hungry sorcerer named Nekron.

Although Fire and Ice is a fairly standard sword and sorcery tale about good versus evil, the result is an often exhilarating film that brings together two titan talents in their fields: Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. The story that unfolds is overflowing with arresting imagery, graphic carnage, and a scantily clad princess who provides plenty of eye candy. There are also an ample number of monsters, like a giant squid and mutants referred to as subhumans who try to impede the hero in his quest for revenge.

While Fire and Ice is a film that shines in many aspects, its narrative stands out as the primary flaw that prevents it from achieving perfection. Its shortcomings are more than its simplicity; there are not many surprises, and early on it becomes clear where things are heading. Fortunately, Ralph Bakshi’s instincts as a filmmaker and Frank Frazetta’s captivating images make the shortcomings of the narrative easy to look past. Another thing that works in Fire and Ice’s favor is William Craft’s score, which does an outstanding job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Fire and Ice is a film overflowing with style and atmosphere, making it a must-see for fans of Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta.

Fire and Ice gets a definitive release from Blue Underground. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer