Taran und der Zauberkessel

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.

I must say first that my opinion on this film is slightly biased. I was one of the handful of people to have seen this film on its initial theatrical run. I was also 11 and a boy (a target audience of this film). I owned the Gurgi and Hen Wen plushes, got excited by the preview on the "Pinocchio" video, etc.,etc.

After seeing the movie, I remember being entertained (maybe not enthralled) by the film and was saddened by Gurgi's sacrifice at the end.

Years passed. And passed. And passed. And people seemed to have forgotten "Black Cauldron" in the wake of "Little Mermaid" and her successors.

I must admit that I became somewhat obsessed with finding out why Disney thought of the film so poorly and why everyone gave me "blank stares" when I mentioned it. To say the least, I longed for a video release of the film.

A year or two ago, I got my wish, and now that I'm older and "wiser" I'm able to make a better judgement of the film. Is it Disney's worst film ever? Absolutely not. "Black Cauldron" is probably the finest animated film of the 1980's ("Little Mermaid" not withstanding). It IS a scary film for young kids (hence the PG rating) but I think audiences today are able to deal with that more than they were back in 1985 (just look at "Dinosaur," "Road to El Dorado," and the upcoming "Titan AE" which are all rated PG). The story may not be up to Disney standards, but for a film of its genre (i.e fantasy) it has a very compelling and understandable story. The animation has its highs and lows. But this film was made by a large number of people over a long period of time, so it is inevitable that there should be some fluctuation in quality.

Lastly, I too have read Lloyd Alexander's books, and I too adore them. No, Disney's film does not even begin to compare to the books, but what movie does?

On its own terms, "Black Cauldron" stands as a remarkable achievement in animation, and a film for those people who don't just think cartoons are "babysitters for kids."

1st watched 10/2/2004 - 7 out of 10(Dir- Ted Berman & Richard Rich): Well-done overlooked Disney film. This is one of the movies that came out before "Little Mermaid" in 1989 similar to "The Great Mouse Detective" that didn't get much attention but nevertheless was a well-done story & production. This may have been the first animated Disney film to be rated PG as well, which may have kept people away. The PG rating may have been given for a small blood being shown on the mouth of our hero or the very scary zombie-like "Horn King" who has to rate up there as one of the truly scary villains in the Disney films. The story revolves around the Horn King's reign and his attempt to have greater reign over the world by finding the Black Cauldron. An enchanted pig that is able to see the future is also much wanted by the Horn King in order to find out where the Black Cauldron is. What makes this movie good is the story, the animation, the music, and the overall presentation. I also like that it didn't follow other Disney films and became it's own entity. This may be another reason it's not associated with Disney often. Overall this is a very groundbreaking Disney film, but it was so forgotten that it's not had any impact on the future of Disney.

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.

I first saw this movie when I was a kid (probably 7 or 8) and I loved it. After that I didn't know what happened to it. Then last year (or so) it appeared on video. Naturally I snapped it up.

Well? Had the years been kind? Somewhat. Of course the build-up I had given it could never have been lived up to, but I enjoyed it. Watching it again, without the preconceptions, I thought it was wonderful. Maybe not as good as I thought as a kid, but still great.

Sure, some of the animation isn't as polished and crisp as the likes of 'The Little Mermaid' or 'Beauty and the Beast' (2 of my favorites) but it still looks great (especially the cauldron scenes near the end). And the team didn't feel the need to squeeze songs in where they would have been unwelcome. There are NO songs in this movie.

Overall, I can see why some people don't like it, but that's surely true of any movie. This is an atypical Disney release, but a classic. One of my favorites.