Almost 40 years ago, Disney released a dark fantasy animated film, The Black Cauldronand it was so different from the studio's offerings that it nearly killed Disney's animation department entirely. Nowadays, everyone knows what a “Disney” animated film is and what it isn’t. It is ideal for families. There are talking animals. There is an independent princess (and sometimes a prince). There's usually some adventure, probably some songs, and more than a little humor. It's been a successful formula for Disney for a century.
From the 1970s onwards, however, Disney Animation has deviated greatly from its tried-and-true formulalaunching lively offers that didn't always work. The transition really began in the late 1960s, when Walt Disney's death saw the creative reins handed over to a new generation of animators and storytellers. Walt Disney Animation Studios, then known as Walt Disney Productions, found itself navigating the turbulent times of the Vietnam War era when society and culture were changing rapidly, and its offering reflected that. Unfortunately, one of these experimental films is Disney's darkest film, The Black Cauldronalmost killed the studio forever.
The Black Cauldron Threatened the Future of Disney's Animation Department
The company was already in an era of turmoil and turnover
The fantasy film The Black Cauldron was based on the first two books in the series by Lloyd Alexander, The Chronicles of Prydain. The film follows young swineherd Taran and his allies, princess Eilonwy, bard Fflewddur Fflam, and his companion, the wild creature Gurgi. The friends' mission is to prevent the Horned King from stealing a cauldron that will give the evil emperor unlimited power. IIt was the first Disney animated film to use computer-generated imagerya technological leap at the time. Although the film was the only Disney animated film at the time to receive a PG rating instead of a G rating, with the adventure and fantasy, it seemed like a slam dunk for Disney.
Unfortunately, The Black Cauldron bombed, grossing just $21 million on a $44 million budget. The studio struggled to market it, and audiences confirmed this challenge when they were surprised by its dark and frightening themes. Audiences watched Disney films for their family-friendly tone, and although the studio had released some more adult themes in the last decade, The Black Cauldron and its horror themes were not something most audiences were prepared for.
Just as important, that $44 million was a huge budget for a Disney animated film at the timemainly because test screenings forced them to cut scenes and rework the story, and there was a mass exodus of animators that slowed it down. The enormous financial loss suffered by The Black Cauldron, plus the behind-the-scenes turmoil and enormous upheaval the studio has experienced in recent years, was the lowest point in Disney Animation's history. The bold film that was intended to put Disney Animation back on the map became the giant flop that almost ended it.
How The Black Cauldron Became a Disney Cult Classic
The following decades gave people a new appreciation for it
Of course, Disney Animation didn't give up, and surprisingly, their dark and strange little movie that flopped ended up becoming a true cult classic with audiences for decades to come. Unlike other Disney animated films that were re-released for home video in the early 1990s, The Black Cauldron it wasn't. It was such a big bomb that Disney delayed its home video release until 1998, 13 years after it hit theaters. Its release on physical media provided an opportunity for audiences to re-evaluate the film, and they did.
It is by no means a perfect film, but the public began to appreciate The Black Cauldronthe innovative animation for the time and its bold vision. The story is a bit confusing and sprawling, but there are some genuinely great action sequences and inventive visuals. A killer soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein and excellent voice work are also positives, and the film is worth watching today. Now, the cultural reassessment The Black Cauldron is complete, with audiences today appreciating it for exactly what it is, even if it wasn't exactly what the animators set out to do at the time.