Wizards was my homage to Tolkien in the American idiom. I had read Tolkien, understood Tolkien, and wanted to do a sort of fantasy for American kids, and that was Wizards.

I'm the first to admit that I can't be as good as Tolkien, and a movie can never be as good as Tolkien.

Disney had such a hold on the mind of America-they were Adolf Hitler. The whole country thought Disney was some sort of god and that animation was some sort of pure thing for children.

The rise of anime had to happen. If the Japanese could tell better American stories, it would go through the roof. They still tell stories which are very much oriental. I take my hat off to them.

I had the X rating on my films. Now they do as much on The Simpsons as I got an X rating for Fritz the Cat.

The success that the Tolkien books had redefined modern fantasy.