The Black Cauldron (Disney Gold Classic Collection)

Customer Reviews:

Whatta great movie.......2007-08-09

The Black Cauldron is a VERY quick synopsis of the books it was based on, The Chronicles Of Prydain. The movie could have done to be a bit longer - it was edited so tight that the story beats come at you like rapid-fire. But it is still such a neato movie with all of its dark and occult imagery. I love it. BUT I would love it even more if Disney were to release a true Special Edition or even a Director's Cut. There is so much of the story and character development left out that some extra scenes would be nice. This DVD has nothing, really, that adds to the back story of the film or the filmaking process. Disappointing that this particular movie recieves so little consideration from Disney but at least it's available.

doesn't deserve the reputation it's received..........2007-04-04

THE BLACK CAULDRON has continually been dismissed by Disney enthusiasts and moviegoers since it was originally released in 1985. It was definitely one of the more ambitious animated projects undertaken by the studio. Ten years in the making, it was also the most expensive project since 1940's "Pinocchio" and the first 70mm widescreen movie since "Sleeping Beauty" in 1959. In THE BLACK CAULDRON, Disney attempted to cram Lloyd Alexander's densely-written "Prydain Chronicles" books into one movie, and the result was hardly a hit, but it's not a flop, either.

Taran (voiced by Grant Bardsley) is a dreamer, looking to find his place in the adventurous world beyond the cottage of his master, Dallben (Freddie Jones). Taran spends his days tending to a mystical clairvoyant pig called Hen Wen. The life of Hen Wen hangs in the balance when the evil Horned King (John Hurt) decides to use her powers to find the location of the Black Cauldron, where all the evil forces of the world are kept. Hen Wen is spirited away to the Horned King's castle with Taran in hot pursuit. Once at the castle, Taran teams with young Princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan), eccentric musician Fflewddur (Nigel Hawthorne), and a cute little furry creature called Gurgi (John Byner). Their only hope lies in finding the Black Cauldron before it's evil powers fall into the wrong hands...

This is not your usual Disney fare. It's very dark, there are no musical numbers, no real "happily ever after" ending, and the overall tone of the piece does not sit well with the previous Disney animated movies. I believe the animators were trying to capture a feeling and mood that had been earlier established in other animated films of the period (Don Bluth's "The Secret of NIMH" and Ralph Bakshi's "Lord of the Rings" immediately spring to mind). Elmer Bernstein's music perfectly underscores every mood.

THE BLACK CAULDRON is a thrilling medieval adventure, and will appeal to those with a taste for that. Disney purists are sadly always going to have a problem with it, but hopefully it will be appreciated for what it is.

The DVD includes a set-top game called "Quest for the Black Cauldron"; the vintage Donald Duck cartoon "Trick or Treat"; still galleries, and the trailer.

Sort of a let down.......2007-03-09

I'm a big fan of Disney movies and when I heard this one was for sale, I had to see it - the rumors of the forgotten/hidden/canned Disney film, maybe because of that infamous PG rating, were far too tempting. It turns out, there are some scary images (the Horned King is not exactly the prettiest burning eyed skull you've ever seen), but that's cool. Now I understand the rating. But the story line leaves a lot to be desired. I can't say how close the movie followed the books by Lloyd Alexander (despite being an avid reader as a kid, I somehow missed this series), but as a film, there didn't seem to be a good reason for any of the characters' actions. The first scene was pretty dull and from there it just got weird. You never really get a good sense of the world around the characters (it's like extras were at a premium, and yes, it's animated). When the princess appeared pretty much out of nowhere, I found her moderately annoying and pointless. Our hero, Taran, had so many wacky sidekicks that none of them really had the chance to be developed. And the ending is strangely unsatisfying.

Pros: the pig is really cute. Cons: everything else. I would recommend The Sword in the Stone over this one for a tale of a boy and his sword, but if you really want to see it, borrow it or rent it. It's probably not one you'll want to keep.

Disney could of done better...........2007-02-27

Okay, I made that mistake and read the Prydain Chronicles before actually seeing this movie. Honestly I didn't think Disney did a good job on this film. Characters were left out and I didn't like how they merged "The Book of Three" and the "Black Cauldron" together. They changed some of the events a bit which didn't make sense to me and the movie seemed rushed, especially when it came to finding the black cauldron. I think this film would of done better as a live action movie, such as Disney's sucsessful "Narnia". And it could have been done in parts, since the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexandre consists of 5 books. 6 including "The foundling". Another thing I didn't like was that the movie was too dark, too scary for children to enjoy.

I think I would of enjoyed the film more if I have never read the books. XD

I wish Disney would release an Un-Cut/Remastered version of this..........2007-02-15

I saw this when I was a kid and loved it because it wasn't your typical Disney flick; it was dark and it didn't have any stupid musical numbers. Now that I'm older, I still believe that this is a cool flick, but after doing some investigation on Wikipedia I found out that this movie has a lot of scenes cut out because it wasn't Kosher for children. Also, this version is not anamorphic or re-mastered. Disney may see this as a stain in their career, but there are many people who would love to see this movie uncut and cleaned up. I'm pretty sure that Disney will bury this gem again, so I would snatch it up before they lock it up in the vaults forever.

Average customer rating:

Whatta great movie
doesn't deserve the reputation it's received...
Sort of a let down
Disney could of done better....
I wish Disney would release an Un-Cut/Remastered version of this...

The Black Cauldron [Region 2]
Starring: Grant Bardsley , Susan Sheridan , Freddie Jones , Nigel Hawthorne , and Arthur Malet
Director: Ted Berman , and Richard Rich
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006LSH2