Black Cauldron

naturegirl7 by naturegirl7
Last updated: 09/18/2011

Halloween DVD for Older Children

The Black Cauldron movie is on my list for Halloween viewing by older children. This fantasy from Walt Disney Productions, was released in 1985, after twelve years in production.

The animation is outstanding and though the story line isn't as strong, it is still a good slightly scary movie that can be enjoyed, especially around Halloween.

Even though the books, the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, are much better (as most books are), I liked the movie and would recommend it.

The Black Cauldron Movie

Black Cauldron Trailer

This is what we saw when the movie came out in 1985.
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The Story

The Black Cauldron is the story of Taran, a young pig-keeper, who attempts to rescue his clairvoyant pig, Hen Wen, from the castle of the evil Horned King. The King tries to get Hen Wen to lead him to the mysterious Black Cauldron. Taran escapes with young princess Eilonwy and Fflewdder Ffflam, the minstrel, and with the help of mischievous Gurgi finds the cauldron. Before they can destroy it, the Horned King takes it and begins to unleash its awesome power of producing deathless warriors. Gurgi sacrifices himself to destroy the cauldron's power and save his friends, and in the end, Taran defeats the Horned King and Gurgi is restored.

Reference: the Disney Archives

Review from TV Guide

"A glorious return to the days at Disney when animation was full and detail was everything, THE BLACK CAULDRON is betrayed by a routine storyline which fails to grip the imagination in the same way that such classics as PINOCCHIO or DUMBO do, but it's a remarkable achievement nonetheless."

The Black Cauldron History

Taran and Hen Wen

Photo courtesy of Reelfilm.com


Disney released the Black Cauldron Movie in 1985. It was twelve years in the making. The animation used in the production was state of the art at that time and Disney was the first to use many of the techniques seen in the Black Cauldron.

The screen play or plot was adapted from Lloyd Alexander's award winning Prydain Chronicles, a five volume series. Disney studios bought the rights to all five books in 1971. The book the Black Cauldron and the movie are quite different. The Disney screen writer combined the plot and characters of the first two volumes, The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron. A minor character, the Horned King, became the major villan of the movie.

Many who loved the books thought this was a mistake, since the Book of Three could have supported an excellent animated film by itself. The author of Antagony and Ecstasy surmized, that the reason may have been that the "Black Cauldron" was a much better title for a movie than the "Book of Three". At any rate, this is what contributed to a sketchy plot lacking in deep character development.

All that being said, I still liked the movie. Yes, parts of it are dark, but so are parts of Harry Potter. It is sort of a combination of "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars", but many hero quest movies are. The animation is excellent and the story line is adequate to give children an hour or so of slightly frightening fantasy fun.

Reference Antagony and Ecstasy Blog

Black Cauldron Disney Gold Collection DVD

The Black Cauldron (Disney Gold Classic Collection)

Amazon Price: $16.00 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Antagony and Ecstasy says...

"But despite being a huge wreck of narrative in every respect, I do actually like The Black Cauldron; I might even say I like it quite a lot. For it is absolutely gorgeous."

Black Cauldron Music Video

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Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles

are the books that the movie was based on.

The Prydain Chronicles Books

The Prydain Chronicles are outstanding mythological fantasy books for children, written by Lloyd Alexander. The five-volume set is composed of (1) The Book of Three, (2) The Black Cauldron, (3) Castle of Llyr, (4) Taran the Wanderer, and (5) The High King. The movie, the Black Cauldron was based on the first two books. Lloyd Alexander received the Newbery Award for book 5, The High King.

I would recommend all five volumes.

Book of Three

Chronicles of Prydain Book 1

The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain Book 1)

Amazon Price: $2.70 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Black Cauldron

Chronicles of Prydain Book 2

The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain)

Amazon Price: $2.80 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Other Books by Lloyd Alexander

Taran Wanderer (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

Taran Wanderer (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The Newbery-winning fantasy series now available in more...0 points

The Castle of Llyr (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The Castle of Llyr (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The Newbery-winning fantasy series now available in more...0 points

The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The Newbery-winning fantasy series now available in more...0 points

Time Cat (Puffin Modern Classic) (Puffin Modern Classics) by Lloyd Alexander

Time Cat (Puffin Modern Classic) (Puffin Modern Classics) by Lloyd Alexander

Jason's cat has nine fantastic lives-and he's taki more...0 points

The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander

The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander

Theo is traveling Westmark, learning about the cou more...0 points

The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The Foundling: And Other Tales of Prydain (The Chronicles of Prydain) by Lloyd Alexander

The Newbery-winning fantasy series now available in more...0 points

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander

A boy fleeing from criminal charges falls in with more...0 points

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander

When Prince Jen volunteers to search for the legen more...0 points

The Town Cats and Other Tales by Lloyd Alexander

The Town Cats and Other Tales by Lloyd Alexander

As he did in "Time Cat", Alexander bring more...0 points

The Beggar Queen (Westmark Trilogy) by Lloyd Alexander

The Beggar Queen (Westmark Trilogy) by Lloyd Alexander

Mickle, once a common street urchin, is now the queen more...0 points

The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio by Lloyd Alexander

The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio by Lloyd Alexander

A beautiful Kirkassi girl, cold-eyed villains and smiling more...0 points

The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

To escape the wrath of the king and his wicked soothsayers, more...0 points

The House Gobbaleen (Picture Puffins) by Lloyd Alexander

The House Gobbaleen (Picture Puffins) by Lloyd Alexander

Poor luckless Tooley longs for some help from the Friendly more...0 points

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander

Gareth's definitely not an ordinary cat. For one t more...0 points

Lloyd Alexander's Books on eBay

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Find More Black Caudron Things Here

The Black Cauldron 25th Anniversary Edition DVD

The Black Cauldron: 25th Anniversary Special Edition

Amazon Price: $9.72 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

More Black Cauldron on Amazon

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The Black Cauldron (Disney's Masterpiece) [VHS]

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The Black Cauldron

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The Black Cauldron (AUDIOBOOK) [CD] (UNABRIDGED) (Prydain Chronicles, Book 2) by Lloyd Alexander

The Black Cauldron (AUDIOBOOK) [CD] (UNABRIDGED) (Prydain Chronicles, Book 2) by Lloyd Alexander

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THE BLACK CAULDRON TARANS MAGIC SWORD by Golden Books

THE BLACK CAULDRON TARANS MAGIC SWORD by Golden Books

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Walt Disney- The Black Cauldron - 12

Walt Disney- The Black Cauldron - 12"x12" Pkg with Cassette and Full Color Photo Book by Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Mawthorne, Arthur Malet, John Byner, Eda Reiss Merin, Adelle Malis Morey, Billie Hayes Grant Bardsley

Walt Disney Pictures' The Story of the Black Cauld more...0 points

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  • Reply
    lastlittlebird Dec 16, 2010 @ 2:19 am | delete
    The Black Cauldron game was one of the very first computer games I ever played... led me to the books and I adored the books. The movie wasn't bad either. Nice lens :)
  • Reply
    Sep 2, 2010 @ 4:20 am | delete
    Very informative lens.
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  • Reply
    rms Aug 30, 2010 @ 8:01 am | delete
    I've never seen this one but I think I'd really like it!
  • Reply
    BuckHawk Aug 29, 2010 @ 3:45 pm | delete
    You have definitely enticed me. I am a fan of all things Disney but missed this one. I'm now looking forward to seeing it. Netflix, get ready! Congrats on Number 13, too!

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My husband and I have always loved nature and the outdoors. We currently maintain a 9 acre private wildlife preserve.

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