The Black Cauldron (Disney’s Flops Vol. 1 #17)

After “The Fox and the Hound came out in 1981, Disney was in turmoil back in the ’80s. They bought the film rights to adapt a fantasy book series called, “The Chronicles of Prydain” combining the first two books “The Book of Three” & “The Black Cauldron” in animated format.

Released in 1985, (same year Akira Kurosawa’s Ran came out) The Black Cauldron earned mixed reviews from critics and flopped at the box office only grossing $21.3 million failing to push back its $44 million budget. Thirteen Years Later, the movie was released on home video for the first time and gained a cult following.

I never saw The Black Cauldron as a kid. I grew up on Marvel, DC Comics, Toonami, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. I thought about sharing my thoughts on The Black Cauldron in response to Disney’s 100th anniversary. By the way, Wish will be released on November 22, 2023. Which Disney movie should I review next? Please leave a comment and I’ll respond back.

It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. If you’re interested in this movie, read at your own risk.

Shiny & Rusty Qualities

Shiny: Voice Actors including the late John Hurt all did a good job for their respective performances.

Animation still holds up.

Action Sequences are solid.

Elmer Bernstein (Airplane, Ghostbusters, The Age of Innocence) orchestrated the soundtrack.

This is the first Disney animated movie not to feature songs in the background. Also the first non-musical movie. A breath of fresh air.

Fun Fact: Ralph Bakshi was considered to direct. He didn’t want any involvement with Disney. Because he thought his mature style didn’t suit with them.

The Story focuses on a pig herder named, Taran. He goes on a quest with new friends to find an item or else a dark lord can get his hands on it.

Character Development involving Taran. As the story progresses, he goes from an immature kid who dreams of becoming a knight to a nice guy realizes being a hero wouldn’t work.

The Tone’s slightly darker than previous Disney movies. I didn’t get freaked out. The giant spiders from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” & “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” gave me the heebie jeebies. A reason why I hate spiders. Thankfully. The Black Cauldron’s tone isn’t extremely violent like any death scene from “Game of Thrones.” Could’ve been worse if they went too far on the same level as Ramsay Bolton cutting Theon Greyjoy’s dick off.

The Horned King (voiced by John Hurt) steal the movie. I’m giving him Bonus Points as the saving grace.

The Horned King’s undead army reminds me if Hector Barbossa and his crew from “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”

Rusty: I did some research on the books. Taran’s friends are nothing like themselves.

• Gurgi is annoying as fudge. In the books, he’s a sasquatch who’s willing to fight. Gurgi in the movie however, is turned into a canine lookin’ coward, flees from battle and puts his friends in peril. That’s like making Gollum into an exaggerated version of himself who does nothing, but whine complain, lacks the split personality and capable of psychologically manipulating Frodo in order to steal the One Ring. He’s supposed to be a tragic character due to the ring corrupting his sanity and his appearance. And I thought, Deadpool’s appearance was butchered in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
• Eilonwy isn’t a fearless tomboy. She’s more of a girly-girl who’s easily scared.
• Fflam is a fearless combatant. Unlike the books, he’s a coward.

Gurgi sacrifices himself by jumping into the cauldron. To make matters worse, Gurgi’s brought back to life.

I didn’t care about Taran’s friends at all. I wanted them to not make it at the end.

Then Disney CEO Jeffery Katzenberg forced the editor to remove the climactic battle’s violent content. Again, it’s not gory like any death scene from “Game of Thrones.”

The Final Verdict: C-

The Black Cauldron had potential to become a game changer as Disney’s first franchise producing a dark fantasy series. If it weren’t for Katzenberg’s interference and heavily changing the source material, it could’ve been a masterpiece.

I want a live-action remake of The Black Cauldron or a Disney Plus/Hulu series retaining many elements from the books without studio interference. Adapt all the books into five movies or five seasons. This is a golden opportunity to introduce a new audience as the next big thing.