On the whole, Disney is famous for producing family-friendly content. Admittedly, that doesn’t mean Disney shies away from trauma, as people have long poked fun at Disney’s tendency to kill off parents in the first few scenes. The truth is that for many years, Disney had an established formula that it was loath to step away from. Disney’s formula often revolved around the hero’s journey, but that wasn’t the only requirement the franchise leaned on. Overall, it tried to stick to the lighter side of storytelling, parental death aside. That made this 1985 release all the more shocking, as it dove into a world of dark fantasy.
The Black Cauldron is an animated film first released in 1985. Based on the classic Arthurian legend, inspired by the words of Lloyd Alexander. The story follows Taran, a young swineherder (really) who finds himself thrown into a fantasy adventure like no other, in classic Arthurian style. Along the way, he comes across Princess Eilonwy and bard Fflewddur Fflam (say that name ten times fast), plus little Gurgi, a strange critter that is equal parts adorable and nightmare fuel. While the film is today considered a cult classic, it was a box office flop at the time, preventing Disney from creating more of its kind.
Diving Into Darker Tones
The Black Cauldron broke the Disney mold in countless ways. To start with, it was the first-ever Disney animated film to earn a PG rating, hinting at the darker themes the film experimented with. On that note, this film did not shy away from creating terrifying villains, from the Horned King to the grisly green skeletons, and pretty much anything else a child may find haunting. Likewise, it didn’t shy away from killing its villain, gruesomely on screen (much like The Hunchbak of Notre Dame, and with a slightly more obvious take than Tarzan).
Where Disney films are allowed to portray death and loss (obviously), they still typically follow the same formula. This is another place where The Black Cauldron deviated, as a main character seemingly sacrificed himself for everyone else’s sake. While the character did, ultimately, survive, it sure looked like he died for a few moments there. Ironically, fans were less upset about this than you might think, given the character’s creepy-cute vibe. Gurgi is a divisive character; people either love him or hate him, with the vast majority leaning toward the latter option.
Flipping the Script
Allowing the film to be dark and scary isn’t the only deviation from the Disney formula. Ironically, while The Black Cauldron does have a princess, she doesn’t fall under the classic princess archetype, but another character does. Taran, the boy thrown into the heart of this adventure, may appear to be the hero, but he’s really playing the role of the princess. Meanwhile, Princess Eilonwy is put in the position of playing his rescuer. Don’t believe us? Taran even gets an animal familiar (the strange little critter known as Gurgy) and finds true love by the time the movie wraps. Sound familiar, right?
There’s one last major detail The Black Cauldron did differently, making it stand out from its contemporaries: there were no musical numbers. While Disney is famous for its sing-along quality, that wouldn’t have fit the overall aesthetic of The Black Cauldron. Any song would likely have raised the overall tone of the film, for better or worse.
Budgets and Box Office Failures
There are, unsurprisingly, a few reasons why The Black Cauldron didn’t get the attention or love it expected. For starters, the PG rating almost certainly scared some parents off. Then there’s the lack of musical numbers, which historically has not gone well for Disney films. Lastly, there’s the simple fact that The Black Cauldron did not earn back what it cost to make.
The Black Cauldron utilized experimental animation styles of the time. That’s ultimately why the film has such a haunting visual quality to it. Created during the early days of CGI, it was exorbitantly expensive. The Black Cauldron cost around $44 million to make, but only earned half that back at the box office. Because the film didn’t do well in theaters, Disney hesitated to release it on tape, taking an additional 12 years before finally doing so.
The delayed video release may have caused The Black Cauldron to slip into obscurity for a time, but it did eventually get the cult following it deserved. When it was released on video in 1997, it found a new audience of viewers, and in doing so wormed its way into our memories.
The Black Cauldron is available to stream on Disney+.
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