Rating: 
Summary: This movie is nothing like the books...
Review: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander which include THE BLACK CAULDRON were among my favorites books when I was younger. I remember seeing this movie when it first came out and I hated it because the only thing this movie has in common with the books are the names of the characters. I say the names of the characters, because for the most part, the characters portrayed in this movie are nothing like the characters in the book. I am now an adult, and I recently re-read the books and rented this DVD. I knew the movie would be nothing like the books this time and discovered the movie to be a good but dark adventure. So the bottom line is... If you are expecting this movie to reflect any characters or plots from the books, you will be very disappointed. If you want a Disney adventure movie, it's fine. However, it is too intense for young children !
Rating: 
Summary: Not Based on The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
Review: I saw the movie before reading the book. My reaction was "okay, lots of flaws, just okay." Then I read the book to my 5-year old. I was blown away by the story. It is a crime that this movie is even being called "The Black Cauldron". It has a few of the characters from the book, alters the characters it does have beyond recognition, and substitutes a DIFFERENT storyline from the book!It's as if someone created a movie based on "The Lord of Rings" but decided it would be better to end the story with Frodo and Sauron locked up together in steel cage in a no holds barred wrestling match. It's that much of a travisty. Really. My question is: why? Why would anyone take a classic of children's literature (which "The Black Cauldron" and all of the Prydain chronicles surely are) and say, "eh, we can do better. Let's rewrite it, but we'll still call it "The Black Cauldron". If your name is William Shakespeare, you can rewrite the source and get away with it. The people who rewrote "The Black Cauldron" are not William Shakespeare. And they're also not Lloyd Alexander, but at least they had the rights to his book, but choose not to use it. Listen, take the money you would've spent either renting or buying this movie, march over to the book store (or click over to the book section of Amazon.com) and get the book. You'll save money and get a vastly better product.
Rating: 
Summary: Do NOT adjust your sets! It's not just another Disney film!
Review: Lloyd Alexander's Taran books are sort of compiled together to get the plot of this movie. And the average 8+ year old might actually like the dark elements of the movie even though they give them goosebumps. But be very, very sure you understand that this is NOT a typical Disney film. Audieces were very surprised this December with The Emperor's New Groove. I loved the movie because it owed more to the Road Runner and Tom & Jerry cartoons than the usual Disney fare. But an awful lot of Disney fans felt cheated. They could not stand the movie. I know you were there, because you were complaining behind me all the way back to the car. If you were one of those people, avoid The Black Cauldron, too. You'll just upset yourself. And Disney has lots of other great films you'll like better. For the rest of you: It's a little darker than the standard Disney fare. No hummable music. No singing man-beasts. And not much humor. For the adults out there, I think this is an important movie animation-wise. Bakshi worked on the film. Fans of Bakshi's Lord of the Rings and Wizards willrecognize and appreciate the style. Bakshi's shadowy, haunting world of the dead captures the feeling of helpless souls lost in the fog. Of course, for your eight year old, there are still cartoony zombies, monsters, et al. so necessary for the plot. :) The more mature themes of are an early precursor for the darker parts of Disney's Hunchback movie (You know. The parts without the goofy gargoyles in them). Give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: A Terrific DVD Release from Disney!!!
Review: Lots of surprises on this DVD from the Disney Gold Classics Collection. For starters, it's released in its original theatrical ratio. This makes all the difference for a film like The Black Cauldron that was originally released in widescreen. There is no comparison between the DVD and VHS versions. Here, the special effects are much more impressive. Shadows, background art, and even entire characters can be seen that were lost in the pan and scan VHS copies. The Dolby digital soundtrack is also impressive. Disney has opened its vault to provide artwork, promotional materials, and even a favorite Donald Duck cartoon on this DVD. Thanks to everyone at Walt Disney Home Video involved in this first class release. Like The Rescuers Down Under (also in widescreen on DVD), this is the kind of quality we have come to expect from a company like Disney.
Rating:
Summary: One should judge this with an open mind
Review: I think the biggest problem people have with this movie is that it's not like other Disney movies. This means no happy happy joy joy attitude and no songs(which I actually find distracting in most disneymovies). Other than that I've heard people dissing it because it's not like the books. Well I haven't read the books but that might make me more objective cause I DO love this movie. I love dark stories and this is indeed a dark story. I mean in what other disneymovie do we get to see Undead. Personally this is my favorite Disneymovie. It has magic, dragons, rather creepy villains(they could be straight out of a horror movie) and faeries. Also very noteworthy is Eilonwy. She's my favorite princess from all the Disney movies. It's funny to see how clumsy she and Taran act around eachother. Speaking of him. I think he's believable. He shares my wish to be great someday. Too bad I don't live in a magic kingdom tho... o well :) Sure this movie looks a little dated compared to more recent Disneymovies but I mean we're talking the 80's here. When they didn't use 3D modeling to make 90% of the movie. All I can say is that this is a charming movie which is way underrated. And that it's more likely to appeal to people with a darker taste(people who like Tim Burton's work for example) than to the typical Disney fan. Okay that's my 2 cents for today.
Rating:
Summary: Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick
Review: Actually that probably makes it sound worse than it is. I actually liked this film. I initially purchased the DVD because I had been told that Tim Burton had worked on it. I never actually saw his name, but then again I could have missed it. It is a little darker than most disney cartoons, but I think that is one of the things I liked about it. I never actually read the book, but have been told that the movie was pretty light weight in comparison, but that happens a lot. Some of the plot is a little silly but its still a cute movie to watch. I was glad there was not a lot of singing in it as a lot times that is a put off for me. The main problem I seem to have is that there is a defect in my copy of the DVD. It freezes up consistently at the same point in the movie which forces you to stop and then chapter selct and fast forward past that part. It is the only DVD I seem to have a problem with, so it may just be the copy I got.
Rating: 
Summary: This Lost Classic.................
Review: ...should have stayed lost. Sorry Disney fans. I saw this at Radio City Hall many, many years ago during its premiere week. What a disappointment. While the animation was somewhat interesting, it failed to live up to its hype. Instead, the movie consisted of very loud rumbles, crashes, special effects. The characters were one-dimensional lacking any warmth or depth. Disney could have spent a little less on special effects and hired a screenwriter. It gets 2 stars rather than 1 star only because it served as a prototype (only with respect to special effects) to Disney's renaissance animation (Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, et. al.).
Rating:
Summary: The Black What?
Review: This movie came out originally when I was 7. All I remember was that it was really, really creepy and there was a cute little furry guy. And it faded into a distant memory, one that would stir up everyonce in awhile.Until Disney finally released it to video in 1998. The Black Cauldron isn't your typical happy Disney movie, and that is what seperates it from everything else they have released. It IS very dark and creepy (even now as I'm 22). There aren't any joyful and happy songs every other Disney movie contains. The only real semblance it has is Gurgi, the cute sidekick. This movie isn't for everyone. I would hesitate to show it to my 4 yr old sister. But don't let this discourage you from viewing one of Disney's best.
Rating:
Summary: Why 2 stars? I read the book.
Review: This is Lloyd Alexander's "Black Cauldron" on video. Sure, Dallben wears a skirt, Arawn and the Horned King are a single character, Fflewdur Fflam is a cowardly old man, the Fair Folk are flying, glowing gnomes, gwythaints are dragons, Arawn seeks the Black Cauldron instead of owning it, his armies consist of stupid barbarians instead of the deathless cauldron-born, Henwen doesn't run away, Orwen, Orddu, and Orgoch are standard Halloween witches, Taran trades Dyrnwyn for the Crochan (which isn't referred to as such), and Coll, Gwydeon, Ellydyr, King Smoit, and Arwen are absent altogether, but, really, do you care? I certainly do! This video's title is very misleading; rather than following the book it shares its title with, "The Black Cauldron" is a mish-mash of that book and "The Book of Three", with some Disney cartoon formulas thrown in for good measure (such as a cute sidekick). There's some good dialog with fairly authentic English accents, but all characters' mannerisms from the books were dropped, resulting in some boring word exchanges. The animation is fairly good in places. Whatever charm this animated version may have, it is wasted on me and anyone who actually read any books from the immortal "Chronicles of Prydain".
Rating:
Summary: This is GREAT animation!
Review: Of all the animated films Walt Disney Pictures has produced over the last 60+ years, "The Black Cauldron" is perhaps the least well-known. Upon initial release it was a commercial disaster, and was greeted with a cool reception by critics. That was July of 1985. It is hard to decipher, however, why the film has been Disney's "black sheep" aside from its non-performance at the turnstiles. Viewed on its own terms, it is a marvelous animated film, kept too long from its potential admirers. It is for one thing based on Lloyd Alexander's masterful pentology "The Chronicles of Prydain". Those who crave a great Arthurian legend (and in this age of Harry Potter mythology seems to be the greatest fad ever wrought upon mankind) this film should not be missed. It is admittedly not of the calibre of the books upon which it is based- the main action of the animated feature borrows sequences and characters from the stories which were never directly associated with one another- this is the film's most noteworthy fallacy. Also, it is not-repeat NOT- a musical, one of the very few Disney films driven by action instead of music. I'd be wanton to consider this a fault. Charming as Disney tunes are, there ought to be exceptions, and this is one example of an exception to the rule unfairly judged. The characters themselves are quite enjoyable- Taran is a bit bland, but Eilonwy, Gurgi, Fflewdur Fflam and Creeper are first rate animated heroes. The Horned King is voiced and depicted expertly and arouses genuine terror. This movie is quite distinct from the earlier Arthurian legend animated by Disney ("The Sword In The Stone") but it is clearly related to Disney's first television success, "The Gummi Bears" likewise set in similar times and with the same characters under different guises (Cavin IS Taran, Calla IS Eilonwy, and Toadie is most definitely Creeper!) This film will be enjoyed by many generations of children and adults- thankfully Disney has decided to make it available at last to its future audience.
| 
