The Black Cauldron (Animated) (DVD)

...it, i'd never heard of the movie as part of the Disney series until I stumbled upon it on tv by accident, there was little else on at the time and so I decided to give it a chance, while the main characters are children I didnt find myself watching it as if it were a movie aimed at kids. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and added the DVD version to my christmas list(which I was delighted to recieve) I now watch it often as part of my sci-fi/fantasy ...
...It is based loosely on the first two volumes of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, a series of five fantasy novels which are often compared to Lord Of The Rings. It is one of Disneys lesser known animations having failed at the box office. Unlike other Disney animations "The black cauldron" features no songs.

THE STORY
Taran is a young assistant pig keeper who dreams of being a great warrior, Dallben the head ... more

Ive always loved all things Knight and dragon, if theres a fantasy movie out there I want to see it, i'd never heard of the movie as part of the Disney series until I stumbled upon it on tv by accident, there was little else on at the time and so I decided to give it a chance, while the main characters are children I didnt find myself watching it as if it were a movie aimed at kids. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and added the DVD version to my christmas list(which I was delighted to recieve) I now watch it often as part of my sci-fi/fantasy collection.

"The black cauldron" was Disneys 25th animated movie, it was produced by Walt Disney Productions, and originally released in cinemas on July 24, 1985 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. It is based loosely on the first two volumes of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, a series of five fantasy novels which are often compared to Lord Of The Rings. It is one of Disneys lesser known animations having failed at the box office. Unlike other Disney animations "The black cauldron" features no songs.

THE STORY
Taran is a young assistant pig keeper who dreams of being a great warrior, Dallben the head pig keeper and Tarans only adult companion tries to keep his feet on the ground advising the young boy to concentrate on his duties rather than dreaming. One morning Taran is bathing Henwin, the pig which, as Dallben frequently reminds his assistant, is very special, Henwin starts to act strangely and Dallben rushes out to see what is the matter. They rush inside with Henwin and Dallben reveals why she is so special, Henwin is a psycic pig who sees visions, she had seen something which had made her fearful. Dallben encourages Henwin to reveal her vision and he realises she is in danger, the evil horned king has found out of her existence and is seeking her out to make use of her powers.
Dallben decides it would be best too move Henwin to another hide away and sends Taran away to guard the pig until it is safe for Dallben to join them.

On the way to their new location Taran starts day dreaming again and as he imagines being a brave and famous warrior Henwin slips away. As Taran comes round from his daydream he realises the pig has escaped and goes to find her, instead he meets Gurgy, a cute if scruffy being who offers to help Taran find Henwin despite secretly not knowing where the pig has gone, unfortunately for Taran Gurgy is a coward and runs when trouble arises. Taran finds out the his pig has been taken to the horned kings catle and so decides to sneak in and save her.

The horned king has hunted down Henwin in his search for the black cauldron, he hopes that by using her powers he will find the cauldrons location. Taran manages to make it into the castle but is soon captured, while he helps Henwin escape he is caught at the last moment and thrown into the horned kings dungeon where he meets Princess Eilonwy and Fflewddur Fflam(think "flewdur flam" and thats how you say it) Miraculously the trio find a way of escape with the help of an enchated sword and so their own quest to find and destroy the black cauldron begins.

Along the way the trio encounter fairies, wyverns(dragonlike creatures) and witches. Gurgy reapears and joins the group. They manage to track down the cauldron only to be stopped at the last minute by the horned kings men and one of the group has to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to stop the horned kings evil plans. They learn powerful lessons in friendship and teamwork but the film ends with a suitably happy conclusion(which I wont disclose)

CAST-
Grant Bardsley ... Taran
Susan Sheridan ... Eilonwy
Freddie Jones ... Dallben
Nigel Hawthorne ... Fflewddur Fflam
Arthur Malet ... King Eidilleg
John Byner ... Gurgi/Doli
Eda Reiss Merin ... Orddu
Adele Malis-Morey ... Orwen
Billie Hayes ... Orgoch
Phil Fondacaro ... Creeper/henchman

CREDITS-
Many people helped create this movie, I have only listed a few as there were too many animators, assistants, editors etc etc to include.

Directed by-
Ted Berman
Richard Rich

Written by-
Lloyd Alexander (novel series The Chronicles of Prydain)
David Jonas
Vance Gerry
Ted Berman
Richard Rich
Al Wilson
Roy Morita
Peter Young
Art Stevens
Joe Hale
Roy Edward Disney

Original Music by-
Elmer Bernstein

Viki Anderson - Animator
Ruben A. Aquino - Animator
Dale Baer - Animator
David Block - Animator

DVD EXTRAS
The films extras include "Trick or Treat" Cartoon, Quest for Black Cauldron game, still frame gallery featuring images from the movie, scene selection and subtitles.

OTHER INFORMATION
"The black cauldron" is available from all good entertainment stores such as HMV and Virgin, Woolworths and W.H.Smiths. Most of these stores have dedicated Disney sections and there is where you will find the dvd. It is available online in the region of £6.99 however in store Disney titles are more expensive and prices usually start from £9.99 upwards.

Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain can be picked up online for pennies(try Amazon) the individual titles are "The Book of Three", "The Black Cauldron", "The Castle of Llyr", "Taran Wanderer", and "The High King".

MY OPINION-
Im a huge fantasy fan so naturally I enjoy this movie. It's baddy is different to the norm, he's pure evil, bent on destruction and capable of raising an army of undead soldiers, this is a little darker than some of Disneys other themes, the horned king would even sacrifice his closest ally in order to achieve his goal.

Ok so the pig who can tell the future is a little on the odd side, it's certainly not something you can see coming when watching it for the first time. Gurgy is my favourite character and is likely to be most people's, he's totally adorable and has the funniest little voice, I felt so happy for him when he was finally accepted by Taran at the end, he's difficult to descibe he's sort of an animal/monster but he's not scary, he kind of looks like a Lhasa Apso or Shih Tzu dog able to walk like a human, all cute and hairy.

While the main characters are children I didnt find them annoying like I thought I would, they dream of being more than what they are but are mature enough(ok yes they're written that way) to accept the truth. The fairy folk are definately aimed at the younger viewers, with the exception of Doli who is a grumpy old fairy who feels put upon by those around him.

The film is animated in the basic Disney way of hand drwn animation cells, before any of the 3d computer graphics were developed, however it's well done with bright colouring or dark and dingy tones where appropriate. Some of the scenes are quite amusing as the animation cell of the scenery that is permanent is darker then the cell of the scenery that is going to move, you can always pick out which rocks are going to fall etc etc...

I think the film teaches good lessons in friendship, responsibilty and believing in yourself. Its a classic Disney laced with morals. While I would say it was suitable for younger viewers I would advise supervision, the horned king is quite scary for a Disney baddy and there is a scene where skeletons are raised from the dead which I think would scare little ones.  

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