Customer Reviews

El Caldero Mágico (The Black Cauldron) [VHS]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

Not too many remember when this movie was released... it BOMBED in theatres.
Why?
For starters, no one was ready for a PG rated Disney cartoon... especially one that IS NOT a musical. I think it lasted about two weeks in the theaters, then Disney pulled it.

(Something else people might not realize is that, while a failure in theaters, The Black Cauldron was modified and ported over into TV. It became one of Disney's most successful animated TV series: The Gummy Bears. While Taran, Eilonwy, and Creeper are renamed and not the main characters, they are in there!)

Left in the Disney vaults until 1998, this now restored full-length animated feature is a gem, if not a bit rough around the edges. Without your standard "filler" material of songs and silly dancing, The Black Cauldron uses dialog, stunning animation, and action to keep it moving.

The movie is dark, foreboding, and just plain creepy. It is rated PG, and I DO NOT recommend letting your kids sit in front of this one alone!

But for all its good points, The Black Cauldron strays far from Lloyd Alexander's books, too much is left unexplained, and you never get the chance to really care for any of the characters. Compared to other Disney movies, this is a major change as we're always drawn in and quickly bond with the lead characters.

Oh, and contrary to what other reviewers have said, this was NOT Disney's first PG rated movie. That honor goes to The Black Hole (1979).

While this movie is a must for Disney collectors, the rest of us could pass it up and not miss much.

Being an avid Disney video collector, I of course saw trailers for this release hitched onto other 1998 tapes, and was genuinely amazed with them alone. Needless to say I ran out to the store August 4 of that year to buy my copy of this never-before-released-on-video animated Disney flick and popped it into the VCR as soon as I got home. I honestly do not understand why so many people who have reviewed this movie have called it bad. Sure, it's different, and yes, it did recieve a PG rating, but those are not nessesarily bad things. And, yes, appearently it IS different from the book, but, putting all of that aside, it is a WONDERFUL movie, and, unlike some reviewers, I'm very glad that they let it out of the vaults.

Taran, dreams of being an incridible warrior, but soon finds himself reduced to searching for Hen Wen, a young pig he tends to that has run away. This eventually leads to his embarking on a quest to find the mythical Black Cauldron, which gives the one who bears it ultumate power, before the evil Horned King. Aside from the adventurous, dark mood, the movie carries other strengths, too. First off, the characters are amazing and can be related to. I too have dreams and fears just like Taran (in fact quite simmilar in one perspective), and he is like a welcome friend to me. Gurgi is cute and funny and is this movie's classic Disney sidekick; there's one in every classic, you know. Second, there's the annimation - it's amazingly mood-setting and obviously helped the animators learn a great viriaty of skills they would use in later films. Finally, there's the film's tear-jerking (yes, I did say "tear-jerking" in regard to Disney's "The Black Cauldron," folks) ending and the timeless moral that is illustrated within it -- I won't say what it is; you have to go rent (or better yet buy) this too-often-ignored Disney gem to find that part out. To top it all off, the original 1998 release has a very cool-looking cover, supposedly "FX packaging" according to some old TV spots; the Gold reissue has a wonderful (different) logo and cover image too.

All in all, I can't find a negative thing to say about it. The DVD supposedly has it in widescreen, which I'd love to see - and the Gold Collection issue (in both VHS and DVD formats) has "Trick or Treat," a classic Donald Duck short. I don't know why I don't have this on DVD yet! It's something you and I should both make a point to get. Amazing! ***** 5/5

In 1985, Disney attempted to do a PG-rated swords-and-sorcery animated tale based on a good source material--Lloyd Alexander's CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN. The resulting movie had a lot of winning things going for it--for one, the animation was impressive for its time, showcasing an early mixture of CG effects. A massive underscore by Elmer Bernstein (which remains one of the best for a Disney movie) substitutes singing characters here. In addtion, there are at least some well-defined (and created) characters, notably the young, inexperienced "pig-boy" Taran, the terrifying Horned King (voiced superbly by John Hurt) and of course the two "comic" characters, Gurgi (a Gollum-like character with a childlike innocence and more loyalty--and an equally cuddly voice) and Creeper (a great baddie sidekick for a villain).

And yet the movie is considered Disney's greatest failure. It is understandable to see why: for one, the movie flopped at the box office (in fact, it took more than 10 years after its theatrical debut to finally arrive on home video). Second, in trying to compress the five-volume "Chronicles of Prydain" into one movie, the story comes across as a little too overplotted and frustratingly leaves questions one is likely to have about its characters (and magic rules) unanswered. The third reason is that aside from the aforementioned quartet of Taran, the Horned King, Gurgi, and Creeper, the characters aren't as well defined or memorable as they could be. In particular, Princess Eilonwy (whose bitchiness from the novels has been noticeably toned down for the film) comes across as an underdeveloped heroine--her abrupt shift from berating Taran's boasting about who got them out of trouble to a quasi-romantic love interest felt jarring to me. The same, frustratingly, feels true for many of the other characters, even if some of them (Fflewdurr Flamm, an elderly minstrel whose harpstrings happen to snap every time he lies) are actually quite likeable and/or interesting (a trio of batty witches who hold the titular object).

But even with its flaws, THE BLACK CAULDRON is by no means Disney's worst animated feature (that prestigious title belongs to HERCULES and probably HOME ON THE RANGE). True, it is problematic, but I nonetheless enjoyed the movie and applaud the animators for painting a grim, gothic fantasy setting through art. If only the plotting and characters were better developed, it would've been a classic. I would definitely recommend reading the books to get a full experience on the universe Disney was struggling to portray but by all means try out the movie as well. It has a lot of high points and there are some great animation effects (notably when an army of skeleton warriors comes alive), even though it probably isn't one of Disney's best.

A word of caution to parents: this is probably not a good film for children to watch. THE BLACK CAULDRON was clearly rated PG for a reason--not anything in the way of graphic violence or profanity, but there are lots of scenes which do come across as nightmarish, especially those involving the Horned King.

As far as the DVD release goes, it's a bit sparse on the extras, but the slide-show feature on its production origins and spin-offs warrants the purchase alone. The visual transfer is well done (aside from a few film scratches and one period of dirt filter) and it sure beats watching a pan-and-scan version. The real star of the DVD, though is the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix. THE BLACK CAULDRON was originally mixed for six-track Dolby Surround, and the music by Elmer Bernstein comes across as brilliant and the dialogue separation is impeccable.

So there you have it, my impressions of this flawed yet grossly undervalued entry to the Disney animation cannon. True, it's far from perfect, but as long as you don't compare it to the books (and acknowledge that it was created at a time when the studio was in something of a slump), THE BLACK CAULDRON is enjoyable and leaps and bounds above the weakest animated films ever made.

Of all the animated films Walt Disney Pictures has produced over the last 60+ years, "The Black Cauldron" is perhaps the least well-known. Upon initial release it was a commercial disaster, and was greeted with a cool reception by critics. That was July of 1985. It is hard to decipher, however, why the film has been Disney's "black sheep" aside from its non-performance at the turnstiles. Viewed on its own terms, it is a marvelous animated film, kept too long from its potential admirers. It is for one thing based on Lloyd Alexander's masterful pentology "The Chronicles of Prydain". Those who crave a great Arthurian legend (and in this age of Harry Potter mythology seems to be the greatest fad ever wrought upon mankind) this film should not be missed. It is admittedly not of the calibre of the books upon which it is based- the main action of the animated feature borrows sequences and characters from the stories which were never directly associated with one another- this is the film's most noteworthy fallacy. Also, it is not-repeat NOT- a musical, one of the very few Disney films driven by action instead of music. I'd be wanton to consider this a fault. Charming as Disney tunes are, there ought to be exceptions, and this is one example of an exception to the rule unfairly judged. The characters themselves are quite enjoyable- Taran is a bit bland, but Eilonwy, Gurgi, Fflewdur Fflam and Creeper are first rate animated heroes. The Horned King is voiced and depicted expertly and arouses genuine terror. This movie is quite distinct from the earlier Arthurian legend animated by Disney ("The Sword In The Stone") but it is clearly related to Disney's first television success, "The Gummi Bears" likewise set in similar times and with the same characters under different guises (Cavin IS Taran, Calla IS Eilonwy, and Toadie is most definitely Creeper!) This film will be enjoyed by many generations of children and adults- thankfully Disney has decided to make it available at last to its future audience.

This is a fantastic action adventure story, that gave a much needed break to Disney's wonderful musical. Not one song is in this film, and that gives it a major benifit becuase it kept the film very serious and dark. A lot of the past reviewers have said that the animation is not very good. Aside from one scene, I strongly disagree with this. The animation is not extraordinary, but it does succeed in making the atmospheric mood a very dark one.

Besides, animation is not what carries this film, it's it's characters. Starting foremost, with the Horned King, a villian that goes beyond any bad guy before him using the Cauldron's magic to resurrect his army of skeletons. This provides one of the movie's most intense and dramatic sequences. The comedic relief in this film belong to Creeper, the king's goblin creature and Gurgi, a cowardly creature who redeems himself later in the film. Both do well in making us laugh, but not going too far to avoid taking the film's dark feel. Taran is the main character, but aside from knowing that he wants to be a hero, not much is known of him.

This film is greatly underappreciated, mostly becuase it was a severe economical failure. What Disney lost in $, they gained in creative expansion, beginning to be able to tackle many different subject matters for different audiences.

The Gold Collection DVD, includes "Trick or Treat", a classic Donald vs his nephews cartoon.

It's no secret that Disney has been . . . . . . . well, slacking off lately. (Quite frankly, they suck.) Boy, do I miss the good old days with just 2-D animation, and no computer enhancement to be seen. I'm only thirteen, so I don't want to act like I know and have seen it all. But because of my age I feel privilaged to really know how *GOOD* these older movies are (most kids I know don't). Anyway, on with THE BLACK CAULDRON.

This is a very strange film for me; when I was little, I didn't like the movie at all. It didn't necessarily scare me (though I definitely found the movie creepy), I just didn't like it. Then just yesterday I saw it on TV in the morning, so I figured "What the heck?" and watched. And for some reason, I really liked it! I just loved the old-fashioned fairy tale plot and characters. Sure, Taran and the Princess don't break any new ground, but they don't try to, and that's some of the charm to the story. And I can't write a review for this movie without mentioning The Horned King. . . . . . aaaahhhhh, what a grand villain! His prescence reminds one of the villains of old, like Malefecent from SLEEPING BEAUTY. And don't forget the classic score by Elmer Bernstein.

At the time, this was the most expensive animated movie ever made (at $25 million . . . . . that's $15 million more than the original STAR WARS cost, people!), and it shows. THE BLACK CAULDRON mixes all kinds of animation, from traditional Disney-style to new-age techniques. But none of the new stuff do any more than enhance the story. If this movie was made nowadays, it would be chalk-full of pointless show-stoppers. It's a beautiful looking film, pure and simple.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the spectacular voice cast: Freddie Jones, John Hurt, John Huston, Susan Sheridan, Grant Bardsley, and more inhabit the movie throughout. Their prescence further enhances the classic traditional feel of the story.

For all those who enjoyed so much SLEEPING BEAUTY, or for all those of this generation who are wondering why all the grown-ups keep praising Disney, see this film. Though it is far from Disney's best, you'll undoubtedly see what they are talking about.

(P.S. I've never read the books, so I don't know how you'd feel about the movie if you have.)

This movie is sadly a forgotten one. I had never heard of it until they released it on DVD. I was quite surprised too, its hardly "disney-like" No singing, different animation style, and a much darker story. Overall its a good film.

I keep reading in other people's reviews how its "not like the book" that may be true (and the books are much better)but who cares? its a good film in its own right and it just might serve to introduce people to the books who might never have heard of them (like me). Besides that we could complain that EVERY disney movie is not like the story its based on. Have you every read The Jungle Book? Or any of the classic fairytales like Sleeping beauty or Beauty and the Beast? Or how bout the Little mermaid? Talk about rewritten endings! The little mermaid DIES in the end of the fairytale!

My point is every disney movie is VERY LOOSLEY based on some classic. They TOTALLY rewrite ALL their stories keeping only the basic plot points (if any)and the main characters, then they throw in some songs and cute/funny sidekicks. But does any of this make me enjoy Sleeping Beauty or the Little Mermaid less? No! and it shouldn't make you enjoy it less either. Enjoy the Stories/Books for what they are, and enjoy these Disney films for what they are.

So go buy or rent this movie already!You might be quite surprised like I was.

I think the biggest problem people have with this movie is that it's not like other Disney movies. This means no happy happy joy joy attitude and no songs(which I actually find distracting in most disneymovies). Other than that I've heard people dissing it because it's not like the books. Well I haven't read the books but that might make me more objective cause I DO love this movie. I love dark stories and this is indeed a dark story. I mean in what other disneymovie do we get to see Undead.

Personally this is my favorite Disneymovie. It has magic, dragons, rather creepy villains(they could be straight out of a horror movie) and faeries. Also very noteworthy is Eilonwy. She's my favorite princess from all the Disney movies. It's funny to see how clumsy she and Taran act around eachother. Speaking of him. I think he's believable. He shares my wish to be great someday. Too bad I don't live in a magic kingdom tho... o well :)

Sure this movie looks a little dated compared to more recent Disneymovies but I mean we're talking the 80's here. When they didn't use 3D modeling to make 90% of the movie.

All I can say is that this is a charming movie which is way underrated. And that it's more likely to appeal to people with a darker taste(people who like Tim Burton's work for example) than to the typical Disney fan.

Okay that's my 2 cents for today.

This film deserve far better than it got. When the film first came out in the mid '80s, it devastated Disney financially due to its very poor box office performance and very high cost. Pity, I really liked this film. It was one of the few Disney cartoons not based on any classic fairy tail. It was original. It was not formulaic like just about everything else produced by Disney before and since. Dark, dingy, and scary - oh yeah! Fearsome creatures, villain, and ghouls, oh my! Finally Disney began showing some guts, to go beyond the usual sugar coated fluff, kind of like Disney meets Dungeons and Dragons. The cutesy kid stuff was kept at a minimum (though not eliminated completely) and there was none of the usual song and dance numbers. Unfortunately it didn't pay off, and Disney went back to doing what it always had been doing. Sigh...

The animation was fairly good. My only real complaint is that it was a bit flat at times, a little greater use of light and shadow would have been nice. The characters were well designed, and the voice acting was well done (dig them British accents).

Add this neglected gem to your treasure trove.

This is a great, but dark, animated adventure. The movie is based (quite loosely) on the first of a trilogy of excellent books that another reviewer mentioned. If you take the movie on its own merit, without comparing to the books, it is a very good movie, but definately not one you should play in front of the smaller children. It has a lot of intense and scary scenes in it.

If you're an avid Disney DVD collector, especially if you're working on your "gold" collection, snatch this one up. But if you've got smaller children, and are looking for a more lighthearted film (ala Bambi, Dumbo, Peter Pan, etc) then you might want to pass this one by for now.