The Black Cauldron (DVD, 2000, Gold Collection Edition)

"Legend has it, in the mystic land of Prydain, there was once a king so cruel and so evil that even the Gods feared him. Since no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into a crucible of molten iron. There his demonic spirit was captured in the form of a great, black cauldron. For uncounted centuries, the black cauldron lay hidden, waiting, while evil men searched for it, knowing whoever possessed it would have the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors... and with them, rule the world..."(what more can one say)

This movie is classic Disney, it had those amusingly silly characters, a hero worth routing for,a princess, a evil villain to despise,magic,skeletons, adventure and a great message to boot. Its perfect for the Halloween season with its lively cackling witches ready to turn trespassers to toads,and a scary castle shrouded in shadow and mystery: containing dragons and other ferocious creatures. Of course it also has glittering laughing fairies and a magical pig to add some charm. The story starts off with a boy who longs to be a warrior and something more then just a pig keeper. Soon however he finds that the pig he is constantly papering can tell the future. The evil horned king too finds out about the boys pig and that starts the quest. This movie is great fun for the whole family and a piece of art. The movie was one of the first to use computer-generated imagery. It gives the film a distinct character and allows it to have very realistic animation for its time. Disappear into another superb world as Disney takes you on yet another magical adventure!

I have been searching for the Black Cauldron DVD for little over a year, and, because it was only released once, it's fairly hard to find. The difference between this Disney feature and other animated around it's time is that fact that almost no one knows about the Black Cauldron as a product. It's a great watch and thematically, very different from other disney films. For example, there is blood and violence and intense magic; much like a darker and more "grown-up" version of The Sword in the Stone. It's true a must have, if your interested in culty animated features; especially the rarity of finding one in a full-length disney feature.
The film was released in the early 80s and the animation technics are something between The Rescuers and The Little Mermaid. Please enjoy, and on Ebay don't settle for anything less than $5-$7. No one knows about this film.... lets keep it that way!

This movie should have been given a different title. The Black Cauldron novel, from which this film gets its title is much more grim; the novel has fighting, death, torture, and even a horse that commits suicide! The novel is a great read for upper elementary aged kids on up. The Disney people consolidated the first two books in the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander; The Black Cauldron is the second book in the series after The Book of Three. The Disney folks basically bastardized the two novels, then created a story with a happy ending. Nice art and animation, but they really hijacked the story, much in the same way President Bush-2 hijacked American education policy with his No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Many may criticize Disney for softening Alexander's nominal work into this film. But there is much to be said when the work is rarely released from the vault. And what is to be said is that this movie was not made for the average viewer, no it was designed to placate the evil spirits that reside at the various Disney parks as well as stymie and attempts by the evil corpse of reverse Walt Disney to prey on innocent Cuban children. It's a must see for any Disney aficionado that is of the goth persuasion. Just remember one thing and one thing only...
Always remember to flush!

This was an excelant addition to my collection, a wonderful Disney Master piece.... Delightfully dark and surprisingly innocent- lovable characters, and enchanting storyline... beautifully animated..... simply Awesome