Haven’t heard of this movie; doesn’t surprise me. Released in 1985 and loosely based on two books in The Chronicle of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, “The Black Cauldron” is considered to be Disney’s black sheep. It did not do very well at the box office and well it is not something Disney is not too well known for: dark. Once again spoilers will be ahead. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.
The film opens with the explanation of the mythic Black Cauldron. There once was a king so cruel, even Gods feared him. As no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into molten iron. This demonic spirit took form of the Black Cauldron. The legend goes on to say it waits for the most evil man to use it and raise an undead army to take over the world (yep, this is a kid’s movie.)
Centuries go by and the story fades into legend, until the Horned King (John Hurt) the skeleton and cruel ruler of Prydain searches for the Cauldron. Dallben (Freddie Jones), an enchanted farmer, fears the Horned King will steal his pig Hen Wen as she has powers able to locate the cauldron. He sends his assistant Taren (Grant Bardsley), who dreams of becoming a hero, to take care of Hen Wen. However the boy daydreams too much, not to mention gets annoyed by Gurgi (John Byner) a creature living in the forest and Hen Wen is captured. Despite breaking in and freeing Hen Wen, Taren earths the Horned King’s wrath. Along with Gurgi, the magical princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan), the middle age musician Fflewddur Fflam (Nigel Hawthorne) and a magical sword, Taren decides to find the Cauldron and destroy it before the Horned King can use it for his evil plan. Along the way Taren learns being a hero doesn’t mean having a sword and wearing a suit of armor.
If I were to say what was my favorite Disney movie of all time this might just be it, or top three easy and I’m someone who doesn’t like to get scared. I watched this for the first time when I was 4 maybe 5 and it scared the heck out of me, some of it still does! Don’t believe me, google a picture of the Horned King. The guy is a skeleton with bits of flesh on him, has horns sticking out of his head and his voice is CREEPY (bravo to John Hurt by the way.) As far as Disney villains go this guy deserves more recognition. He wants to take over the world with an undead army!
The other characters stand out just as much as the King. Taren is the boy who knows there is more outside the farm and wants it, bet he didn’t expect that adventure he got. Eilonwy is just as much a princess as the official list (because of the poor box office she is not on the list) and is most definitely not a damsel in distress. Fflewddur is the comic relief of the group, which at times is necessary. Finally Gurgi while at times a pest is shown to be the bravest of them all; can’t say why though, sorry.
I understand why this film did not do too well at the box office, when you think Disney “dark” is not the first word to come to mind with their movies. The film did gain a cult following and might be the only reason why someone like me can watch the movie. However it doesn’t mean this film is not worth the watch because it truly is. I always recommend people to watch the lesser known Disney films because they are good, might not follow the success as Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and others but they are worth the watch. I will go into more of those at a later time, but for now I highly recommend watching this kinda scary Disney film.
Films or Television Worth Watching 