The Black Cauldron (1985)

Written by Ted Berman, et al.
Directed by Ted Berman & Richard Rich

So, I think The Black Cauldron is a great opportunity to talk about what makes a film part of the “Classics” line up.

I’ve heard the term “Disney Animated Classic” since I was a kid; in fact, there was a time when the phrase was part of Disney’s advertising. To me, the Classics were on a pedestal, which is part of the reason that inspired me to do this marathon. Invariably, people ask about such and such film, and why it is or isn’t on the list (A Goofy Movie is probably the most frequent one I get asked about. And don’t get me wrong, I love A Goofy Movie). So essentially, what makes a film part of the Classics line up, is who made it. Now, obviously Disney makes all the films, but their feature department is broken up into a few different units. The Classics line up belongs to the main arm, Walt Disney Animation Studios, who consider themselves to have 56 animated feature films, the films I am almost halfway through marathoning.

This is a kid’s movie

What does this have to do with The Black Cauldron? Well, I bring it up because, if the list were based on merits, this film wouldn’t make it on the list. Not by a long shot.

THIS IS A KID’S MOVIE

It’s tough to put a finger on what went so wrong with this film. Perhaps it was the source material, a five-book children’s fantasy series from the 60’s. Perhaps it’s the tone, which is definitely much darker than Disney’s previous movies.

Maybe, it’s just not a well-made movie.

The animation here swings back and forth on how successful it is. The messy lines are back (and y’all are just gonna have to accept that I don’t like them. Sorry about that). But, the film is the first to feature computer generated imagery, and it’s blended into the hand drawn animation (TECHNICALLY, Great Mouse Detective was first, but Black Cauldron was released before it). There are, admittedly, some great shots: the dragons swooping over the valleys to snatch up the Oracle Pig (yes, you read that correctly) features some great angles and animation. Later, the mixing of CGI clouds with hand drawn characters in front of them was a nice try, but unfortunately the mix doesn’t go very well.

The Oracle Pig

Let’s back up to the Oracle Pig. The Pig is one of many characters that just...don’t give us any reason to care about them: most of them (all of them?) come off as grating or annoying. Also, I could maybe buy into the concept that the message of the film is that, anyone, regardless of who you are, can be important. At least, I hope that’s the case, because if not, why is the Oracle animal a PIG? Another of the worst offenders is Gurgi, who basically sounds (and in some cases, acts) exactly like Gollum, from Lord of the Rings. In fact, the entire work feels pretty derivative of that excellent work of fiction (which came out 10 years prior. Just saying).

Gurgi inside Mount Doom…I mean…The Horned King’s Castle

There’s, of course, more plot and characterization issues, but the biggest issue is the pacing. It’s ploddingly slow, and even in moments of action, it doesn’t ZIP the way a good action sequence does. The climatic sequence literally moves with all the frenzied speed of an accountant balancing a ledger, and I’m only being slightly hyperbolic here, the pacing is THAT terrible.

One fun (I guess?) note to end on: this is the first of the animated classics to have the credits at the end of the film, not in front. Yay film history!

FINAL GRADE: D