Ralph Bakshi's animated sword-and-sorcery tale is a long way from his best work, marred by cut-rate techniques and a shapeless screenplay.

Moderate fun here and there.

Mr. Bakshi's allegory is fairly obvious from the outset, but he and his animators are convincingly professional. They have devised a melange of animation and live footage that gives their feature mystical, slightly scary and, occasionally, comic tones.

Produced on a limited budget at a time when animated features were still considered kid stuff, it plays like a PG version of an underground comic book made for the big screen.