Taram et le Chaudron magique

This was the first new Disney film I saw as a kid. I was 6 when it was released and absolutely loved it. I still love it to this day. I wasn't at all scared by it so why it got a bashing for being considered too dark I'll never know. I love it because it is so different compared to the other movies Disney did at that time, and the animation is lovely. The characters are wonderful too. I had this obsession with the film when I was a kid, and bought the story book with clips from the film and everything (which is sadly lost now) so it had a real impact on me. I think that is partly the reason I love it so now. The nostalgia of the old Disney. Compare Cauldron to something like 'Home on the Range' and Cauldron really becomes a classic. They don't make 'em like that anymore. I think The Black Cauldron is a little gem. Nothing for Disney to be ashamed of.

I first saw this movie when I was a kid (probably 7 or 8) and I loved it. After that I didn't know what happened to it. Then last year (or so) it appeared on video. Naturally I snapped it up. Well? Had the years been kind? Somewhat. Of course the build-up I had given it could never have been lived up to, but I enjoyed it. Watching it again, without the preconceptions, I thought it was wonderful. Maybe not as good as I thought as a kid, but still great. Sure, some of the animation isn't as polished and crisp as the likes of 'The Little Mermaid' or 'Beauty and the Beast' (2 of my favorites) but it still looks great (especially the cauldron scenes near the end). And the team didn't feel the need to squeeze songs in where they would have been unwelcome. There are NO songs in this movie. Overall, I can see why some people don't like it, but that's surely true of any movie. This is an atypical Disney release, but a classic. One of my favorites.

This is not your average Disney movie, which is full of happy characters and a long line of happy-go-lucky songs. For many years, Disney disowned this movie because it wasn't a box-office hit and was released on VHS/DVD only twice. One of few PG-rated Disney movies, this one contains no music, and truly scary characters (age-depending, of course). Although characters like the Horned King and his undead army, may frighten younger viewers, the movie's dark side may be appreciated by some children (we forget that they too may appreciate the darker sides of things).The story is slow-moving for a Disney movie, but involving nonetheless. Although it is not the best movie, it is different from their usual gooey-mess of a film, while still having a fantasy-theme and does not seem like a Disney movie whatsoever (in a good way!).

I saw "The Black Cauldron" when it first came out. I was about six at the time, and ever since then, I had always wondered why I had never heard about it again. I only had vague memories about it, but I remembered enjoying it. I had heard somewhere that Disney was so ashamed of the film that they had promised never to release it. However, upon viewing it today, I have no idea what they were so ashamed of. The movie is very entertaining in its own way; yes, it's very dark, and maybe not appropriate for young children, but I enjoyed it. There is some excellent bits of animation in it, and it's a pleasure to see some vintage Disney before it started churning out the overblown, empty films it has made recently. The movie is able to keep a quick pace so that you never get bored. All in all, I would say that it is not one of Disney's best efforts, but it is certainly nothing to keep hidden away for 10+ years.