The Black Cauldron

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2004 Filmcritic.com

Disney didn't make a PG-rated animated film until 1985; this is it, The Black Cauldron, Disney's 25th animated feature. The film successfully skews toward older kids, but it's not too much for the little ones. The story is one of the better ones from this era (predating Disney's 1990s renaissance), involving a boy who does battle with the Horned King as he attempts to destroy, well, a magic pot that would give the King the power to raise an army of the dead. That a kidnapped pig plays a central plot point is irrelevant, this is simple (and simply-animated) Disney fun. John Hurt's gravelly voice of the Horned King steals the show.

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Rating

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Ted Berman, Richard Rich
  • Producer: Joe Hale
  • Screenwriter: Ted Berman, Vance Gerry, Joe Hale, David Jonas, Roy Morita, Richard Rich, Al Wilson
  • Stars: Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, Arthur Malet, John Byner, Eda Reiss Merin, Adele Malis-Morey, Billie Hayes, John Hurt
  • MPAA Rating: PG