Underrated Childhood Movies: The Black Cauldron

#disneymovies #childhoodclassics #theblackcauldron #disney #movies

Now, if you’re anything like me, you grew up on animated movies from Disney, Dreamworks, 20th Century Fox, etc, etc. And we all have our favorites, the ones we would watch so often that we can still recite quotes from the movies when we go back to revisit them. Some of these movies we even like to reminisce about with friends when we talk about ‘the good ole days.’ But, have you ever mentioned a favorite movie, one that you loved as a kid and still enjoy now, to someone, only to have them stare at you blankly and say that they have never even heard of it? I have had that happen to me many a time, and it’s always a surprise to hear that people have never seen movies such as The Black Cauldron, Quest for Camelot, We’re Back, Epic, and Five Children and It, just to name a few.

I have always wondered why my siblings and I have seem to have seem some lesser known (but no less fantastic) films, and maybe it’s because we used to be regulars at movie rental places such as Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Family Video. It used to be an almost weekly event that we would go to one of those stores, and my siblings and I would each be able to pick out a movie. The times that we didn’t go, our mom would pick out movies for us, and she picked out some damn good ones, most of them being the movies that we watched and loved, but no one else had ever seen or even heard of before.

This post will be the start of an ongoing series where I will talk about movies from my childhood that I still adore, that many people haven’t heard of. I have quite a few movies on the list already, some being animated films from Disney or Dreamworks, and some being live action adventures. If the film is streaming on a particular service, I will mention where you can find it. If the film is not streaming, I will either rent it from Amazon or YouTube, and let you know which one and how much it cost. I do this in the hopes that some of my most beloved movies will soon be discovered and loved by some new fans!

We are going to start off with what’s a classic, at least where I’m concerned. Before today, it has probably been years since I have seen this movie, but I have vivid memories of watching it as a kid. Let me introduce you to

THE BLACK CAULDRON.

The Black Cauldron was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1985, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, in association with Silver Screen Partners II. It is an animated dark fantasy adventure film, and it is the 25th animated feature film from Disney. Something I just learned in my research into this film is that it is loosely based on a book series by Lloyd Alexander entitled The Chronicles of Prydain, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I just added that book series to my Barnes and Noble cart. The Black Cauldron was directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich, who had also teamed up for a previous (and, in my mind also underrated) Disney film, The Fox and the Hound. The animation style is similar between the two films, but The Black Cauldron is definitely a much darker story. During the editing of this classis, the climactic sequence was deemed disturbing to children, and was then cut from the movie. Given the dark subject matter of the story, it was the first Disney animated film to be given a PG rating, and was the first to use computer-generated imagery. (Now, remember folks, this movie was released in 1985 so the CGI is nothing compared to what we are accustomed to today, but the animation was given high praise for its time.)

Unfortunately, the movie was a box office bomb, grossing less than half of its budget, likely due to the dark nature of the film. (Wikipedia claims its also due to disjointed writing, but I think they’re full of it, the movie is fantastic.) At the time of it’s release, The Black Cauldron was the most expensive animated film ever made, and because of it’s failure at the box office, it was not released on home media until 1998.

Let’s get into the movie itself now, shall we? I am going to try to avoid any spoilers, in case you want to enjoy this movie for yourself, which I sincerely hope you do.

The movie begins with a voice over, explaining the legend of the Black Cauldron:

"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..."

And so begins our story, with Taran, a young pig farmer who dreams of a better and more adventurous life as a heroic knight in the war against the evil Horned King. The aforementioned Horned King has stood the test of time as one of Disney’s most terrifyingly evil villains, as his plan is laid out above; he seeks the black cauldron so that he can create an evil army of the undead. The only problem is that no one knows where the cauldron is, and that is where the magical (and adorable) pig, Hen Wen, comes into the story. Hen Wen is under the care of both Taran and Dallben, the young boy’s guardian, and on a day that starts as any other, Taran discovers why this pig is so important. Hen Wen is indeed magical, and can create visions of the future. Using this power, Dallben learns that the Horned King is after the creature, and he orders Taran to take the pig into hiding into the enchanted, and possibly haunted, forest. The adventure begins, with Taran finding more companions along the journey, including Gurgi, a lovable, if not a timid, furry friend, the brave and sensible Princess Eilonwy, and the down on his luck, but ever cheerful bard Fflewdurr Fflam. More magical creatures are found in this adventurous and wondrous tale, such as amusing, and often times grumpy, fairies, and a trio of witches, reminiscent of the Three Fates from Hercules.

All in all, the film makes for a magical and intrepid tale of the harrowing fight between good and evil. There’s humor and plenty of adventure in this dark fantasy world, and its a wonder why it isn’t one of Disney’s more beloved stories. After all, it has all the necessary ingredients of a classic. If I haven’t yet convinced you to watch The Black Cauldron, I don’t know what more I can do, but please give this movie a chance. It is definitely worth it.

The Black Cauldron is available for streaming on Disney+.

Do you have a movie from your childhood that you think is an underrated gem? Leave a comment and it just may make it to the list!