A poor boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard called Merlin in the path to become one of the most beloved kings in English history.
Director:
Wolfgang Reitherman
Stars:
Rickie Sorensen,
Sebastian Cabot,
Karl Swenson
With the help of a smooth talking tomcat, a family of Parisian felines set to inherit a fortune from their owner try to make it back home after a jealous butler kidnaps them and leaves them in the country.
After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies.
Centuries ago, in the land of Prydain, a young man named Taran is given the task of protecting Hen Wen, a magical oracular pig, who knows the location of the mystical black cauldron. This is not an easy task, for The Evil Horned King will stop at nothing to get the cauldron.Written by
Kelly
This movie is notable for being the first full-length Disney animated movie to incorporate computer graphics imagery (CGI) in its animation. The CGI was utilized for a lot of the special effects, which included the bubbles, a boat, a floating orb of light, the Cauldron, the realistic flames seen near the end of the movie, and the boat that Taran and his friends used to escape the castle. The dimensions and volume of the animated objects were fed into a computer and then their shapes were manipulated through computer programming before they were transferred as physical outlines the animators could work on. Despite this movie being released a year before The Great Mouse Detective (1986), both were in production simultaneously, and the computer graphics for the latter were done first. When Producer Joe Hale heard about what was being done, the possibilities made him excited, and he made the crew from The Great Mouse Detective (1986) create some computer animation for his own movie. For others effects, Animator Don Paul used live-action footage of dry ice mists to create the steam and smoke coming out of the Cauldron. See more »
Goofs
When Fflewddur Fflam is locked up in the dungeon, the number of strings on his harp changes between shots from 5 strings in the wide shots and 8 strings in the close up shots as they start to snap off. Then later on, the harp is back to 5 strings straightened out. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator:
Legend has it, in the mystic land of Prydain, there was once a king so cruel and so evil, that even the Gods feared him. Since no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into a crucible of molten iron. There his demonic spirit was captured in the form of a great, Black Cauldron. For uncounted centuries, the Black Cauldron lay hidden, waiting, while evil men searched for it, knowing whoever possessed it would have the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors... and with ...
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Crazy Credits
There are no opening or cast and crew credits. See more »
Alternate Versions
Appalled by the film's darkness and graphic nature, and also concerned with its long length, Jeffrey Katzenberg requested that the film's release be delayed from its scheduled Christmas 1984 release to July 1985 so that the whole film could be reworked. The Black Cauldron was ultimately cut by twelve to fifteen minutes, all of which were fully animated and scored. As a result, some existing scenes were rewritten, reanimated, and reedited for continuity. Many of the cut scenes involved the undead "Cauldron Born", who are used as the Horned King's army in the final act of the film. While most of the scenes were seamlessly removed from the film, one particular cut involving a Cauldron Born warrior killing a person by decapitating his neck and another one killing another person by decapitating his torso created a rather recognizable lapse because the removal of the scene clumsily creates a jump in the film's soundtrack. Other deleted scenes include: many scenes of graphic violence such as the ones where Taran fights his way out of The Horned King's palace with the magic sword Dyrnwyn; shots of Princess Eilonwy wearing ripped garments, as she's hanging for her life with Taran and Fflewddur Fflam; whole sequences involving the world of the Fairfolk; scenes of the Horned King with a flowing cloak; one scene featuring one of the King's henchmen being mauled by one of the Cauldron Born warriors, which causes him to form horrifically detailed lacerations and boils, before he rots away to become one of the Cauldron Born warriors himself (a couple of animated cels of that particular scene can actually now be found on the Internet); and a more action-oriented, dramatic, and intense climatic fight scene between Taran and the Horned King before the latter is sucked into the Cauldron. See more »
I get tired of hearing people say that this is one of the worst Disney films ever. This film is energetic and action packed.
Simply because the movie is on the bleak side it has gotten unjust criticism. Sure Disney was not at a high point during this time but this movie was better than many others made during the 80's. Oliver and Company is good and I like it more than this but that's because I have more memories from it than BC. The Great Mouse Detective was alright but not anywhere as remotely good as these two films.
I haven't seen The Black Cauldron many times but it is a good Disney film. People who have a problem with the darkness of the film let me put it this way, "Don't watch it and don't show it to your young children!" If you think they can handle it later on than go ahead but don't knock the movie just because it's not what you think Disney should be.
The Black Cauldron is geared more towards a male audience but I am sure some girls may enjoy it as well.
If you haven't seen The Black Cauldron and your a big Disney fan at least give it a shot.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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I get tired of hearing people say that this is one of the worst Disney films ever. This film is energetic and action packed.
Simply because the movie is on the bleak side it has gotten unjust criticism. Sure Disney was not at a high point during this time but this movie was better than many others made during the 80's. Oliver and Company is good and I like it more than this but that's because I have more memories from it than BC. The Great Mouse Detective was alright but not anywhere as remotely good as these two films.
I haven't seen The Black Cauldron many times but it is a good Disney film. People who have a problem with the darkness of the film let me put it this way, "Don't watch it and don't show it to your young children!" If you think they can handle it later on than go ahead but don't knock the movie just because it's not what you think Disney should be.
The Black Cauldron is geared more towards a male audience but I am sure some girls may enjoy it as well.
If you haven't seen The Black Cauldron and your a big Disney fan at least give it a shot.