The Black Cauldron (also known as Taran and the Magic Cauldron in some countries) is the twenty-fifth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. It is based on Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain book series and directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich, the directors of The Fox and the Hound. It stars the voices of Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, and John Hurt.
The film centers around the evil Horned King who attempts to secure the Black Cauldron in order to rule the world. The Horned King is opposed by the heroes Taran, Princess Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam, and a creature named Gurgi.
Plot
On the small farm of Caer Dallben, Taran is an Assistant Pigkeeper to the enchanter Dallben, with dreams of becoming a great warrior. However, he has to put the daydreaming aside when his charge, an oracular pig named Hen Wen, is kidnapped by an evil lord known as the Horned King. The villain hopes Hen Wen will show him the way to The Black Cauldron, which has the power to create a legion of invincible undead warriors, (known as "The Cauldron Born"). With the aid of the stubborn-yet-lovable Princess Eilonwy, an exaggerating middle-aged bard named Fflewddur Fflam, and a pestering but ultimately loyal creature called Gurgi, Taran tries to save the world of Prydain from the Horned King. As the new friends face witches, elves, magic swords, and the Cauldron itself, Taran starts to learn what being a hero really means and that some things are more important than glory.
Production
The Black Cauldron was the first use of the APT process in a film, which replaced Xerography at Disney. The most expensive animated feature made as of its release in 1985, it cost $25 million in actual production costs, but returned less than $10 million at the North American box office. It is also the first Disney animated feature to employ computer-generated imagery. The dimensions and volume of the animated objects were fed into a computer and then their shapes were manipulated through computer programming before they were transferred as physical outlines the animators could work on. Some CGI includes the realistic flames seen near the end of the movie and the boat that Taran and his friends use to escape the castle. The Disney sound editors began experimenting with newly-recorded sound effects, beginning with this film, to replace many of the classic effects heard in many animated Disney films up until after The Fox and the Hound. This included newer, more-realistic thunderclaps (to replace the "Castle Thunder" sound effect used on most 1937-1981 animated Disney features), newer crashes and explosions, and more. However, a rare 1985 trailer of this did use the Castle Thunder in it, and The Great Mouse Detective (released the following year) made heavy use of the old Disney sound effects. After that movie, the classic sound effects (including "Castle Thunder") were officially retired from Walt Disney Feature Animation.
The Black Cauldron was the first Disney animated feature to have closing credits since Alice in Wonderland. This film was shot using the Super Technirama 70 widescreen 70 mm film process, and is one of only two Disney films to have been produced in such a manner, the other being Sleeping Beauty.
When Jeffrey Katzenberg became the new studio chairman in 1984, the movie had already been in production for some years. When it was close to the release date, he ordered several scenes from The Black Cauldron be cut, due to concerns that the graphic nature of them would alienate children and family audiences. The bulk of the cut scenes involved the undead "Cauldron Born", who are used as the Horned King's army in the final act of the film. While most of the scenes were seamlessly removed from the film, one particular cut involving a Cauldron Born killing a person by slicing his neck and torso created a rather recognizable lapse due to the fact that the removal of the scene creates a jump in the film's soundtrack. Additionally, a scene involving Taran taking the magic sword and slaying his foes while he escapes the Horned King's castle for the first time was removed, as well as another scene with Princess Eilonwy partially nude as fabric was ripped off of her dress as she is hanging by her hands. Another scene cut featured a man being dissolved by mist.[1] These scenes were removed to prevent the film from receiving either a PG-13 or R rating. The final version of the film was the first animated film from Disney to get a PG rating from the MPAA.
As of May 2009, a version of the film with the removed scenes restored has never been released. A version of the film with more cuts has appeared on the Disney Channel and Toon Disney.
Cast
Release
The film was first released on July 24, 1985. The Black Cauldron remained out of circulation (both theatrically and on home video) for well over a decade. It was finally released on VHS on August 4, 1998 under the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection.
The film was re-released on VHS and DVD on October 3, 2000 under the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection. Though the R1 DVD is unrestored and non-anamorphic; the R2 release in France is restored, remastered, and anamorphic. The US DVD release includes the film's theatrical trailer, as well as a still frame gallery, the Donald Duck cartoon, "Trick or Treat," and a, "Quest for the Black Cauldron," set-top game.
According to Ultimate Disney, a new DVD version will be released in August 2009 in the US and UK containing deleted scenes and other features.
Reception
The Black Cauldron represented the Disney studio's attempt to reach out to teenage fans of fantasy novels, a popular genre at the time. However, the gamble proved unsuccessful as the film failed at the box-office. Some critics blamed the film's lack of appeal on the dark nature of the book, though other critics gave the film positive reviews. Roger Ebert's review at the time of the film's release was generally positive. The film's failure at the box office combined with its dark tone led to Disney shelving the film for nearly 15 years. Despite the film's lackluster reception, it has developed a cult following among viewers, and it has earned a score of 65% "fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes.
Video game
- A video game based on the film was released in 1986.
Influences
As mentioned above, the story is based on Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain book series, which is in turn based on Welsh mythology.
References
- ^ [1] - Graphic image. An animation cel which was auctioned on eBay, from Sarah's Black Cauldron Page
External links
