Wednesday, March 04, 1998

The Black Cauldron

093016 / 8 / US / 1985 / Disney, Walt / / animation
Black Cauldron, The / Taran and the Magic Cauldron / Hiidenpata. © Walt Disney Productions. EX: Ron Miller. P: Joe Hale. D: Ted Berman, Richard Rich. Based on The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. Voice talent: John Huston (narrator), Grant Bardsley (Taran the pigkeeper), Susan Sheridan (Princess Eilonwy), John Hurt (Horned King), Freddie Jones (Dallben), Nigel Hawthorne (Fflewddur). 80’. Original version: 70mm Technirama. MPAA 27724. Rated PG. DIST: Buena Vista Home Entertainment Finland. Timecoded PAL VHS in Academy format projected for re-examination in Helsinki, VET, Wednesday 4 March 1998. *** ”Story of young Taran, a pig keeper, who attempts to rescue his clairvoyant pig, Hen Wen, from the Horned King’s castle. The King tries to get Hen Wen to lead him to the mysterious Black Cauldron” to quote Dave Smith. Official Disney Classic Number 25 has been one of the least available. I never caught it on widescreen, and the VHS hardly does justice to its visual magnificence. It is also one of the grimmest Disney films together with the Hunchback. One of the most ambitious sword and sorcery tales, it’s better than the animated Tolkien, but the main characters are not very involving.

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