The Black Cauldron just turned 30

[Disney Duster]

That was a great video.

[Disney's Divinity]

Hard to believe this film is getting closer to forty years old now...!

[blackcauldron85]

Can you imagine being one of the younger artists at the studio and reading this article (and others like it)?!
Disney Film Far Behind Schedule
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 5529&hl=en

[blackcauldron85]

This is a really good overview of the making of the film, with some discussion from those that worked on it:
How 'The Black Cauldron' Nearly Killed Disney Animation
https://collider.com/the-black-cauldron ... explained/

And this is amazing, I love it so much:
https://static1.colliderimages.com/word ... 50&dpr=1.5

[blackcauldron85]

I'm reading old articles, and I thought that this was neat.

"Scott's World;NEWLN:Cuddlesome voice." UPI Archive: Entertainment, 19 July 1985. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A447096616/ITOF?u=22417_vcpl&sid=ITOF&xid=8a813bba. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

In the case of 'The Black Cauldron,' producer Joe Hale had run through more than 100 actors searching for the voice of Gurgi when Byner came in...'I was 6 years old when my brother, Mike, first did the Gurgi voice,' Byner recalled. 'I perfected it and amused our parents and friends with it. The minute I saw Gurgi's picture I thought the voice would be OK.

'After we'd started production, Joe came to me and asked if I could do a voice for Doli. I offered several voices and he settled for one that is raspier and crankier than Gurgi's. He sounds like an old prospector.'

If 'The Black Cauldron' succeeds as well as Disney brass and Byner hope, Gurgi may have a big future on his own as an animated cartoon series for Saturday mornings or perhaps a Disney Channel series.
In either case, Byner would be kept busy providing the little guy's vocal machinations. 'That would make me very happy,' Byner said. 'I think it's terrific to become associated with a wonderful character like Gurgi. No matter what I've done in the past or what I'll do in the future, being a part of a Disney classic is the best way to find immortality in show business. 'I think 'The Black Cauldron' is going to rank with the best of Disney's cartoons because it has warm and tender characters facing more action and scary confrontations than other Disney films. 'I've seen the picture and it took me right back to my childhood - me and everyone else in the theater.'

[Disney's Divinity]

Somehow I can genuinely picture a Gurgi TV series back then, airing alongside the My Little Pony and Care Bears shows of that time. It's a shame it didn't work out for the actor's sake.

[Disney Duster]

That was so sweet what he said about why he thought The Black Cauldron was a good movie.

[Sotiris]

Andreas Deja posted art made for the film to commemorate the film's 40th anniversary.

The Black Cauldron
http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2025/06 ... ldron.html

[carolinakid]

If there’s any DAC deserving of an anniversary restoration/special edition it’s The Black Cauldron. Happy 40th!
I saw it in the theater all those years ago.

[Disney Duster]

Thank you Sotiris! Wow, they made the freaking cauldron?!

[Thumper_93]

Today it turns 40! I'm so glad to have enjoyed this film during my childhood. The Spanish VHS will always have a special place in my heart



This is the new ornament released by Disney store for the anniversary:



I bough it and it's really beautiful in person

I also found this poster from France. I've never seen it before

[Dis2d]

that's a nice ornament. Usually most Black Cauldron merch I've seen, it always feels like the character design tend to be more towards ugly.


what I always find annoying is how this movie gets the
"Movie that almost killed Disney Animation." Tag non stop everywhere one looks.

uh, Disney Animation, almost died numerous times in their 102 years. Believe there are like 5ish moments that almost killed the Studio too. Sleeping Beauty which I love for example gets critical acclaim for its artistry but that movie didn't do well on release but rerelease and it almost killed the studio. After that failure, Roy Disney it seems tried to convince his bro to nix the Animation studio for awhile and the compromise was to only release 3 movies per decade which is why the 60s only has 3 movies and so does the 70s (not counting Winnie which is basically a package movie).

it makes sense when your a studio that lasted this long aka the longest active animation studio in the world that there would be numerous bumps along the road and numerous almost end of road moments. Now thankfully, the Studio is likely safe for good. When movies can make in the Billions and potential for synergy and IP generating power of new releases.

and the failure of The Black Cauldron also shifted to a weird thing where too many people equate, failure=crap movie.

underrated movie, lots of fun and beautiful animation. I have 0 nostalgia for this movie as I watched it for 1st time in my 20s. But its exactly the type of movie I would have loved as a kid. The High fantasy, the adventure, the darkness, the characters etc.

I feel like Taran gets too much negative reactions from people. Like I can relate to Taran what 12-13 y/o kid doesn't imagine himself to be a great warrior? But reality put that kid in a life-death situation and they would likely crap themselves and have 0 idea what they are doing. As for Gurgi, nothing wrong with the character and both him and Taran get the most character dev too. Their relationship is basically the main one in the story too.

if there is a - about this movie is more towards.
lack of world building narrative explaining the world better, the war etc. Most of that stuff is rushed and vague. Also that outside of the Horned King's men, it feels like an unpopulated wasteland with not much human life anywhere. And Taran and friends save a land that we barely see any life from which doesn't increase the stakes and more importantly the reward to defeat the Horned King.

now 10 years away from 50th!!!

[Disney Duster]

That is a cool ans beautiful ornament.

Yeah, Dis2d maybe the lack of backstory and much of a world they are saving are flaws of the film. And I like Taran, too. I'd love to be like him.

[UmbrellaFish]

What a lovely ornament! I hope Amy sees this.

[Disney's Divinity]

Sleeping Beauty was one of the biggest films the year it released. I don't believe animation was in jeopardy because of it so much as the long development and money spent meant they looked at ways not to repeat those problems afterwards. That's where the Xerox era began since from what I recall it was cheaper even though Walt wasn't fond of it and those scenes in things like Robin Hood where old animation would be copied (the dancing scene from Snow White being lifted for RH) started happening. Add in the fact that Walt was more focused on the parks and live-action at the time--whivh I wouldn't be surprised if it was because he probably already felt he'd done his all creatively with animation in things like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi whereas the '50s felt very mundane and formula-driven in comparison--and taking a backseat with the animated projects, then his death not too long after SB, well... Quite a lot of things going on there, I wouldn't say SB ever put the medium in jeopardy.

[Dis2d]

Sleeping Beauty was one of the biggest films the year it released. I don't believe animation was in jeopardy because of it so much as the long development and money spent meant they looked at ways not to repeat those problems afterwards. That's where the Xerox era began since from what I recall it was cheaper even though Walt wasn't fond of it and those scenes in things like Robin Hood where old animation would be copied (the dancing scene from Snow White being lifted for RH) started happening. Add in the fact that Walt was more focused on the parks and live-action at the time--whivh I wouldn't be surprised if it was because he probably already felt he'd done his all creatively with animation in things like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi whereas the '50s felt very mundane and formula-driven in comparison--and taking a backseat with the animated projects, then his death not too long after SB, well... Quite a lot of things going on there, I wouldn't say SB ever put the medium in jeopardy.

just go to the Sleeping Beauty wiki page and it will show you that yup it did bomb/flop on initial release and led to layoffs at the Animation Studio.

"The production costs and box office failure of Sleeping Beauty, coupled with the underperformance of much of the studio's 1959–1960 release slate, caused Walt Disney to lose interest in animation."

and I've seen other sources that stated that Roy Disney tried his hardest to convince his brother to shut down the Animation Studio after Sleeping Beauty failure but Walt was very reluctant and the comprise was 3 movies every decade. Seems like mix of Walt's attachment to Animation that kickstarted the company and that people's expectations is why he didn't want to end.

from everything I've read yeah, Sleeping Beauty's initial failure almost killed the Animation Studio.

it doesn't mean its a bad movie or anything I think its a great movie and I like Black Cauldron too. My point was that Disney Animation almost died numerous times or if movies like Snow White and Cinderella were not HUGE hits the studio would have closed.

I mean I recall reading in past that some of the Nine Old Man said that the Animation Studio felt like every project could be the last after Walt's death. Loads of uncertainty about the fate of the studio. It could explain why the so called Dark Ages of Disney aka 70s and 80s they mostly played it safe with the movies and would explain why a Don Bluth got annoyed. Its funny because I enjoy all the Dark Ages Disney movies.

[Disney's Divinity]

My point is it wasn't a box office failure because it was a massive hit on initial release. Much like Tangled was a wash because of production costs, but I believe SB was much bigger than Tangled was.

[carolinakid]

Sleeping Beauty was # 1 at the box office for the weeks of February 25, 1959, March 11, 1959 & March 18, 1959.

Sleeping Beauty was # 10 in theatrical rentals for 1959 grossing $4.3 million.
Even though it never ranked # 1 at the box office, The Shaggy Dog was # 2 in theatrical rentals for 1959 with a gross of $7.8 million. (# 1 for 1959 was Auntie Mame.)

[Dis2d]

the movie lost money on initial release.

"The film was a box-office bomb in its initial release, grossing $5.3 million (equivalent to $57,168,607 in 2024), and losing $900,000 (equivalent to $9,707,877 in 2024) for the distributor."

this is talking about Walt
"His company posted an annual loss of $1,300,000 for fiscal year 1960 (its first in a decade), and there were massive layoffs throughout the animation department."

I feel like people are getting offended by me saying the movie wasn't a success on INITIAL release when by all accounts it wasn't.I'm not sure why people care at this point, happened ages ago and thanks to reissues the movie eventually made money, became a classic, merchandise everywhere etc.

like good chunk of the non-package films of the 1940s flopped/bombed at release due to WWII cutting the European Market but all of them eventually made money on re-releases. WWII almost killed Disney Animation and studio barely survived too. Although Sleeping Beauty didn't have this major war issue like those movies affecting it.


my whole point in initial post was that The Black Cauldron gets the UNFAIR tag of the movie that almost killed Disney Animation Studio. My only point was that throughout its history loads of moment and other films almost saw the end of Disney Animation. Its not an slight towards any movie.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

There were a lot of countries in Europe and other parts of the world where the movie was never released. Not sure if it was even available on VHS, or if you had to wait till it was released on DVD. So for many The Black Cauldron feels like one of Disney's unwanted children (like Glago's Guest).

(As for recycled animation, it is apparently a myth that Woolie Reitherman did it to save time and money. He just did it because he wanted to, for some reason)