Day 4 of 13 Days of Halloween

The Black Cauldron

     This gem of animation is one the forgotten films of Disney. The Black Cauldron is a MUCH darker film than any other animated film that Disney has done. 

     The Black Cauldron's story is a simple one. Through the power of a prophetic pig named Hen Wen, Taran, goes out in search of the Black Cauldron. A magical object that if possessed by evil, would raise an army of the dead to control the world. The pig gets captured by the Evil Horned King's forces because he wants the cauldron. Taran goes after Hen Wen and does free her from the Horned King. He gets captured and is helped by Princess Eilonwy. They discover a magic sword in the tomb of a king. This is also where they pick up the friendly, non-scary, and furry version of Gollum, Gurgi. Our merry band of adventurers eventually, with the help of three witches, find the Black Cauldron. Unfortunately, the Horned King finds them too and takes everyone (except Gurgi) prisoner. The Horned King uses the Black Cauldron and raises an army of the undead called Cauldron-Born. Gurgi then leaps in to the Black Cauldron because the only way to stop it is for someone to climb in of their own free will. The price of doing so is Gurgi's life. After this, the witches reappear to take the cauldron but, Taran trades his sword and the cauldron for them to revive Gurgi. And they lived happily ever after.

     This movie has an interesting history. The Black Cauldron is loosely based on the first two books in the Prydain Chronicles which in turn are loosely based on the mythology of Wales. The film had to be edited twice in order to avoid a PG-13 rating and also because the original cut scared children. Fans are still trying to get the original cut restored and released. This film is not suitable for young children.

Pros:

Great animation

Cool story

Magic pig (don't see too many of those)

Cons:

Taran is a bit annoying throughout the film.

Because quite a few of the darker scenes were cut, the movie jumps around a little bit.

In one place you can tell that something was cut out because the soundtrack cuts there too.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5