The Black Cauldron

[DodgerGirl]

On Disney+ I found The Black Cauldron and from what I saw of it it looked great and the storyline looked pretty good. I understand that when The Black Cauldron debuted in 1985 it was a slow starter and not too many people knew about it. But it made history as the first ever PG animated Disney film. I also know that it was released on video for the very first time in 1998 and that's when people first learned about The Black Cauldron. Was the Black Cauldron not successful for Disney when it first debuted in theaters?

 

[BrianL]

On Disney+ I found The Black Cauldron and from what I saw of it it looked great and the storyline looked pretty good. I understand that when The Black Cauldron debuted in 1985 it was a slow starter and not too many people knew about it. But it made history as the first ever PG animated Disney film. I also know that it was released on video for the very first time in 1998 and that's when people first learned about The Black Cauldron. Was the Black Cauldron not successful for Disney when it first debuted in theaters?

Black Cauldron was indeed not well received. It was based on a book series, The Chronicles of Prydain, and it may have been too dark for what audiences expected. In fact, it was Jeffrey Katzenberg who decided to water down the ending due to converns that it was too dark and violent. This was during the era where Disney animation was really getting crushed by the competiition.

That said, it's not actually a bad movie. If they had left the ending intact it would be better, though I doubt more successful. It might have found more of a cult following like Atlantis eventually did. It does have some very pretty and darkly colorful animation. Interestingly, Disnye4 still holds the rights to Chronicles of Prydain. There were rumors that they wanted to do a live-action film series, but it never really materialized.

 

[old lady]

Live action would have been better .

 

[RangerPooh]

I saw it in the theater back in the 80s. As a child I thought that it was good, but it was not released on VHS until the later 90s, after I had graduated from high school. Like the Great Mouse Detective it was kept from being released. Honestly, I don't think I've watched it since I was a kid, and recall hearing that it had poor reviews.

 

[BrianL]

I saw it in the theater back in the 80s. As a child I thought that it was good, but it was not released on VHS until the later 90s, after I had graduated from high school. Like the Great Mouse Detective it was kept from being released. Honestly, I don't think I've watched it since I was a kid, and recall hearing that it had poor reviews.

It must have come on TV though because I remember being able to watch it and I do not recall seeing it in theaters. Maybe we did, but I was pretty familliar with the movie. I might have taped it off TV. Yeah, I still think it's decent - but it could have been better if Katzenberg hadn't meddled with it.

 

[Moliphino]

I saw it in the theater back in the 80s. As a child I thought that it was good, but it was not released on VHS until the later 90s, after I had graduated from high school. Like the Great Mouse Detective it was kept from being released. Honestly, I don't think I've watched it since I was a kid, and recall hearing that it had poor reviews.

We definitely had the Great Mouse Detective on VHS in the early 90s, I remember watching that as a kid. Pretty sure my mom bought The Black Cauldron when they finally did release it, but I think we watched it once and it didn't make an impression.

 

[Penny1eh]

Apparently Disney put a lot of money into the Black Cauldron and it was received so poorly that it's considered the movie that almost broke the Disney bank. They spent 45 million making it and only made 25 million. Or so are the online rumors.
It is pretty dark for a kids movie. It scared me as a kid but I like it now!

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Not sure if this is still happening, or Disney routinely re-acquires properties it has options on, but it was reported a few years ago they had done so on the books that form the basis for THE BLACK CAULDRON. Now, this could have been in the Game of Thrones hysteria over fantasy type books:

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/disney-developing-the-black-cauldron-live-action-remake/

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

That article is from 2020, but I HOPE that it's true I would LOVE that! The High King is one of my favorite books ever and Eilonwy deserved a lot better than that movie!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Thank for the tip that this was on Disney+ now! I just finished watching. I don't think I've ever read the books, so I'm not sure what the ending was supposed to be, but I think I can guess what was "Disneyfied" a bit.

I liked the animation style, and would enjoy seeing the further adventures of Eilonwy & Taran. (The trivia about it being the first PG Disney movie is cool too.)

Did anyone else feel like Gurgi was kind of "Jar Jar Binks meets Dobby the House Elf"?

 

[PollyannaMom]