The Black Cauldron (Disney's Masterpiece)

Some folks left a less than stellar review regarding the lack of special features on the DVD. Yet, they missed the point entirely, IMHO. I first watched Black Cauldron in theaters back when it was released in the summer of 1986. I was an 8-year-old at the time. This was the only Disney animated feature up to that time (and, I think, since) to be given a PG rating by the MPAA instead of the goodie-goodie G rating. Keep in mind that the MPAA was more conservative through the Reagan years than they are today. And, it deserves it.Anyone who ever read the "Chronicles of Prydain" will tell you that the story is geared more towards teenagers and beyond. Think of this series as JRR Tolken and CS Lewis meets Edgar Allen Poe. The film is not near as dark as the books; and, Disney did take some artistic license with the film to present it towards children and pre-teens. (For instance, the character Gurgi is presented as a cute mammalian gopher kind of creature where in the book he was presented as a huge troll-like being whom smelled powerfully [though, Fleuder-Flam does refer to Gurgi as "pugent"]. Obviously, Disney was going after the cuteness factor. And it worked! At age 8, I would identify with the Disney version before the literary one.)It was a ballsy leap by Disney at the time to release a film with this type of plot; for, their features were rote and had a reputation for fun, feel-good, family romps. (Think Sword in the Stone, Cinderella as well as the hybrids like Pete's Dragon.) But, this one feature was different. Several of the animators had worked on United Artists' "Secret of NIMN" back in 1982 - and it showed. NIMN was also quite dark. Disney hoped to target an older crowd (13-18) in an attempt to bring in that demographic. Unfortunately, it blew-up in their face.Back then, I remember my mother being seriously ticked-off by this movie, as she had no idea it was so dark and foreboding. "Here come the nightmares," she thought. And, after what my parents went through with me after I watched "Poltergeist" on HBO that night a couple years before this, I wouldn't blame her! :-P But, I actually liked Black Cauldron. It would not be released on video until the turn of the Century, however.Disney did a very good job of finding enough of a balance that both those 7-18 and adults would find it a good experience, especially members of the "Lord of the Rings" crowd. The ending (no spoilers) regarding Gurgi - and Taran's reaction to it - was so not Disney. And THAT is what made the film so special, and made me identify with the characters so deeply. But, hang in there. Disney will throw the kids a bone - it will be happy, soon. Yet, it was very fast-paced and hokey.Technically speaking, there were good and bad things regarding the production of this feature. On the good side, this was the first Disney feature to FINALLY be presented in Dolby Surround, instead of the very dated RCA-Victor. The theatrical version contained six tracks of audio - Front L and R, Rear L and R, and Between L and R (Similar to the THX Format). This would set the stage for the wonderful and rich-sounding tracks of "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," and all those after them. Thankfully, the DVD's (The 1999 release and then this one) artfully represent the theatrical Dolby Surround soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1. And, it works well.This feature was also originally shot in 60mm (similar to TODD-AO), instead of the standard 45mm. This makes the film wider than the standard 16x9 ratio we think of, today. This was only the second film to that time that was shot in 60 when it was released in theaters in 1986 - Fantasia being the first, I think. And, thankfully, it was presented in Anamorphic Widescreen for the 25th Anniversary DVD Release. (The 1999 release was presented in 60mm; however, it was Letterboxed instead of Anamorphic - would not fit the entire screen on a 16x9 television set.)Disney mixed several special colors for this film - most notably the "radioactive green" used for the birth of the cauldron born. Also, several unique reds were used when the powers of the cauldron were ultimately stopped. The soundtrack was SUPERB, and was conducted by Elmer Berstein - the same musician who conducted the soundtrack for "The Ten Commandments" in 1956, as well as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and even "Ghostbusters." The orchestration of "The Black Cauldron" is truly one of his best, most rare works. And, being presented in Dolby Surround was the true icing on the cake!But with the good also came the bad. This film had some downright sloppy animation in it - especially towards the beginning during the first seen in Kal Dahlbin (the farm). Not since the "shimmering cape" on the prince in Sleeping Beauty (back in the 1950's) did these errors show back up. It could be excused when the full-color animated features appeared less than 10 years ago at that time - but certainly not in 1986! The 25th Anniversary DVD *DID* clean that problem up successfully, however. If you have the 1999 DVD or VHS tape, you will see what I am talking about. Finally, the plot seemed a tad too rushed, especially towards the end. But, it still worked.The bottom line is if you love epic fantasy plots like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, you will also love The Black Cauldron. (If your kids are old enough to watch LOR or HP, they can handle TBC, as well. After all, I did as an 8-year-old in the mid-eighties.) The Black Cauldron holds a special place in my heart, as I am of Welsh ancestry. (The author - Lloyd Alexander, who was also Welsh - placed the story in Wales.) But, if you are looking for a feel-good typical "put it in to shut the kids up" Disney flick, this ain't it. The Black Cauldron truly is a very unique cult classic.

This poor stepchild of a Disney film....I would think this would now be a time for this film to finally come into its own, given the popularity of the Harry Potter/Lord of the Ring films .... I give the fledgling Disney studio without Disney credit for trying to branch out and try something different, something new at the time of its release, both with the story, animation, and as a bonus treat for film score lovers, (they rarely used big name composers for animated features) there is the incomparable Elmer Bernstein! The new BluRay looks fantastic; 100 times better than the DVD, as I really appreciate and enjoy this film the more I see it. The new BluRay, I have heard, is a full restoration. Well, It looks great, and this certainly added the extra enhancement for another go round of it.

This is one of my favorite Disney movies and I'm always surprised how few people remember it, maybe that's a bad sign. I think it's just the time it was produced. This is a GREAT fantasy movie and fans of fantasy need to watch it. It doesn't have the feel of most Disney movies, I think it's vastly underrated. If you cringe at stupid singing, dumb princesses, and your average Disney-movie-elements, give this film a try. The Horned King is really cool, it has some classic fantasy elements not seen in many animated films (I mean, come on D&D fans? Here's your Necromancer if ever there was one, and it's cool as heck!) and delivered well. In terms of your run-of-the-mill Disney movie, this does not deliver. It doesn't have songs and the theme and over-all feeling is different. The skeletons and darker elements in the Horned King's castle may frighten very young children (maybe those under 6 years old), judge your child's ability to enjoy the movie by their personal tolerance and likes (if they don't like skeletons and such, do not show them this movie). As a child, I loved it, without fear or issue and I was a pretty big baby and overly sensitive.

Film judged as one of the biggest (if not the biggest) financial failure of a Disney animated production. The reasons for this are multiple: change of executives in the company, replacement of old animators by newcomers. And experimentation with laborious techniques; therefore very expensive. But above all, disagreement or incomprehension between all these participants in the company.This film is now cult, for its story (with quite a few writing flaws) of fantastic adventure without the addition of songs, and for the attraction of some scenes of great technical virtuosity. An attempt to remake Snow White, but for a less childish audience, and more attracted to tales like “The Lords of the Rings”. And darker like certain live-action films such as "Dragonslayer" or "Something wicked this way comes". The latter title of which was also released on Disney Exclusive Blu-ray.Regarding The Black Cauldron blu-ray, it is one of the rare ones to offer, in addition to the films, extras: deleted scenes and a short of Donald & The Witch in HD. Bonuses already existing on DVD. A plus which makes the acquisition more enviable for this blu-ray, difficult to order at a reasonable price.Thanks to the Amazon staff for helping me find this title on blu-ray. :-)

I love this classic! I also love the books. I remember seeing the trailer as a child back in the '90s, but I never got a hold of the film until I ordered this copy. It's amazing, despite being a bit different from the books. I also enjoyed the game that's available on the disc.

Trochę mroczny ale rysunki piękne warto kupić.

Esta segunda edición cuenta con mejor calidad de imagen que la primera versión que lanzaron en el año 2000, misma que es la que editaron en México dentro de "los 50 clásicos". Tiene la "ventaja" que el aspecto está ajustado para hacerlo más amigable a la pantalla ancha y no tan rectangular como el formato original. Cabe mencionar que solo es región 1.

The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated feature dark fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and originally released to theaters on July 24, 1985. The twenty-fifth animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon and Disney's first PG-rated animated film, the film is based on Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain book series, which is in turn based on Welsh mythology.The film centers around the evil Horned King who attempts to secure the Black Cauldron in order to rule the world. The Horned King is opposed by the heroes Taran, Princess Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam and Gurgi.The film is directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich, and stars the voices of Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, and John Hurt. A video game based on the film was released in 1986. The film is notorious for being a major box office disaster for the Disney company and being considered one of the worst entries in the Disney Animated Canon (along with Home on the Range and Chicken Little). Though, the film has gained a cult following.

I got this film because I saw it when I was younger and liked it a lot, I watched this with my younger sister and she loved it a lot. She said it is now one of her favourite Disney movies of all time.