The Black Cauldron (1985)

A young boy and a bunch of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.

Directors:

Ted Berman, Richard Rich

Writers:

Lloyd Alexander (novel), David Jonas (story)

Stars:

Grant Bardsley, Freddie Jones, Susan Sheridan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Grant Bardsley	...	Taran (voice)
Susan Sheridan	...	Eilonwy (voice)
Freddie Jones	...	Dallben (voice)
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Fflewddur Fflam (voice)
Arthur Malet	...	King Eidilleg (voice)
John Byner	...	Gurgi / Doli (voice)
Lindsay Rich	...	Fairfolk (voice)
Brandon Call	...	Fairfolk (voice)
Gregory Levinson	...	Fairfolk (voice)
Eda Reiss Merin	...	Orddu (voice)
Adele Malis-Morey	...	Orwen (voice)
Billie Hayes	...	Orgoch (voice)
Phil Fondacaro	...	Creeper / Henchman (voice)
Peter Renaday	...	Henchman (voice)
James Almanzar	...	Henchman (voice)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

cauldron | lie detector | teenage boy | celt | dwarf | 

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Taglines:

Hidden by darkness. Guarded by witches. Discovered by a boy. Stolen by a king. Whoever owns it will rule the world. Or destroy it.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some scary images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taran and the Magic Cauldron

Filming Locations:

Llechwedd Slate Caverns, Llechwedd Slate Mine, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$44,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,180,110, 28 July 1985

Gross USA:

$21,288,692

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures,Silver Screen Partners II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is an urban legend that, despite the movie's failure in the U.S., it was popular in Japan, so much so, that the creator of the Legend of Zelda series, Shigeru Miyamoto, based a lot of the game's elements on this movie.

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Goofs

When the Witches confront Taran, Eilonwy and Fflam after the Castle is destroyed, they negotiate for the return of the Cauldron in exchange for bringing Gurgi back to life. When they arrived at the Witches house earlier, the Taran and co. didn't know where the Cauldron was, and had to barter for it. But in this instance the Witches do not need to give them anything; they could simply take the Cauldron and leave, they have no reason to do a deal with them.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

In the Latin Spanish dubbing some characters' names where adapted for the dubbing. Taran was "Taron", Eilonwy was "Elena", Fflewddur Fflam was "Fausto", King Eidilleg was "Rey Enrique" and The Horned King was "El Rey del Mal" (in English "The King of Evil").

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Connections

Featured in The Disney Family Album: Voice Actors (1985)

User Reviews

It ain't half bad (ain't half good, neither)

There were many good things going on in the Black Cauldron. First, there were NO SONGS, which really helped move things along. Second, the villain was truly frightening, the supporting cast was a lot of fun, and the movie's breakneck pace held my interest and entertained me throughout. But, there were some bad things as well. Taran wasn't really a character at all. Every important thing that happened to him was by luck or accident. And at the end of the story he's right back where he started. Also, the plot was little more than a succession of action sequences, with little sense holding it together. The heroes simply fell out of one situation into the next, perhaps the result of squeezing two full-length novels into one movie. And don't get me started on the ending. Our hero stumbles through the picture so that -- his furball sidekick can become the true hero of the piece. Yech. Still, I was entertained, and I'd see it again. But for those looking for the REAL Black Cauldron, read "The Chronicles of Prydain" by Lloyd Alexander. You'll be glad you did.