The Black Cauldron special edition?

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Rumpelstiltskin
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The Black Cauldron special edition?

Post by Rumpelstiltskin »

In a few weeks 101 Dalmatians will be released, containing intersting extra material like the xerox process and other facts about the production.

Even if The Black Cauldron was not an economical success, there should be enough material about the production to justify a special edition. Like Sleeping Beauty, it was made as a 70mm (which as far as I know is the only two animatied movies in history which has been released in that format), and like Sleeping Beauty it had an extremely long pre-production and almost bankrupted the studio. It was the first "real" movie made by the new generation (the Fox and the Hound was more or less a preperation), the first animated feature from Disney that included CGI in its production, the first (and only?) movie where the APT-process was used, and it represented a short return of the multiplane camera (in an updated version). The movie was also different from other animated Disney releases because of its more scary content, and inculded no musical numbers like the films before.

As mentioned, it was not a success, but I think its history sounds very interesting.
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Post by Lars Vermundsberget »

This is undoubtedly correct. The important question, however, is whether Disney marketing is willing to sell to the public the long history of The Black Cauldron's troublesome creation.
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Re: The Black Cauldron special edition

Post by Disney Duster »

Rumpelstiltskin wrote:(which as far as I know is the only two animatied movies in history which has been released in that format)
Wasn't Disney's Altlantis: The Lost Empire shot in 70mm?
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Post by 271286 »

I dont see the big deal about this film. I really dont think it qualifies for a SE release... It's not really known to the wider audience... And most kids of today don't even know the film...
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Post by I Love Bambi »

TBC was too dark IMO, but it was better than most of today's disney films. I wouldn't mind seeing it in Special Edition.
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Re: The Black Cauldron special edition

Post by Escapay »

Disney Duster wrote:
Rumpelstiltskin wrote:(which as far as I know is the only two animatied movies in history which has been released in that format)
Wasn't Disney's Altlantis: The Lost Empire shot in 70mm?
I think it was shot in 35mm. Aside from IMAX, not many companies use 70mm (or 65mm) anymore, at least not for the entire film. A few recent movies would use 70mm on selected scenes (mainly the special effects scenes), but the last one I remember that used 70mm/65mm for the entire film was Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet in 1996.
271286 wrote:I really dont think it qualifies for a SE release... It's not really known to the wider audience...
We could argue that Oswald isn't really known to a "wider" audience, but it's getting the SE treatment. The "Doctor Who" DVDs are catered to a very limited audience, and they provide not only a masterful restoration, but a very generous selection of bonus features, stuff that can put some Disney releases to shame.

On some level, Disney knows there would be an audience, however small, for a new SE of The Black Cauldron. Whether or not it's a no-holds-barred ten-disc megaset :roll: or a fairly-decent-and-fulfilling single disc remains to be seen. Given Disney's attitude towards the film and towards DVD as of late, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a new edition that simply provides the restored anamorphic transfer used in the R2 France re-release, the extras from the GC ("Trick or Treat", Quest for the Black Cauldron, Still Galleries, and trailer) and maybe a minor 10-15 minute featurette or, if they can be found, the deleted footage.

I would really love if Disney did do the film some justice in its DVD release, and provide immersive documentaries about its troubled production (it began in 1971, but didn't really take off until 1980), as well as the APT process and the new multi-plane camera.

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Re: The Black Cauldron special edition

Post by ichabod »

Escapay wrote:I would really love if Disney did do the film some justice in its DVD release, and provide immersive documentaries about its troubled production (it began in 1971, but didn't really take off until 1980), as well as the APT process and the new multi-plane camera.
Not to mention the gruesome fully animated deleted scenes!;)
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Post by 271286 »

Well I am one of the many who haven't seem this film so ofcourse I wouldnt mind bying a SE when I dont already have it... It just seems to be very uncommercial (is that even a word?) and very much for collectors only...
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Re: The Black Cauldron special edition

Post by Maerj »

ichabod wrote:
Escapay wrote:I would really love if Disney did do the film some justice in its DVD release, and provide immersive documentaries about its troubled production (it began in 1971, but didn't really take off until 1980), as well as the APT process and the new multi-plane camera.
Not to mention the gruesome fully animated deleted scenes!;)
Are you being serious? Can you describe them if you are being serious?
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Post by Flanger-Hanger »

Stuff with the Cauldron Born causing the Horned King's henchmen to have their skin boil over. Fun stuff!
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Post by Lars Vermundsberget »

271286 wrote:I dont see the big deal about this film. I really dont think it qualifies for a SE release... It's not really known to the wider audience... And most kids of today don't even know the film...
That could be one reason why Disney might not release a SE of TBC.

Nevertheless, those of us who know it and its "pre-history" tend to think that a serious SE of this title could be really, really interesting.
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Post by Widdi »

Aww Poo. I was really hoping this thread contained some infromation about a release.

I really wish Disney would start releasing collectors editions of movies like TBC for die hard older fans of their movies. TBC really has one of the most fascinating histories of any of the DACs and thus far it's been treated like crap on DVD (and by Disney in general).
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Re: The Black Cauldron special edition

Post by blackcauldron85 »

ichabod wrote: Not to mention the gruesome fully animated deleted scenes!;)
Maerj wrote:Are you being serious? Can you describe them if you are being serious?
Flanger-Hanger wrote:Stuff with the Cauldron Born causing the Horned King's henchmen to have their skin boil over. Fun stuff!
Here's a picture of this "fun stuff":
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/vie ... t=cauldron

Also, there was a scene with a gwythaint (flying dragon) carrying a "boy" (probably Taran) and there's blood on Taran (I guess from the claws of the gwythaint?)

The market on "The Black Cauldron" is probably smaller than for any other Disney animated title, since it's not too child-friendly (but, we recently had friends over, and the 2 kids, a girl aged maybe 9 or 10 and a boy aged 12 or 13 both liked the film) and it's not that well-known. Disney could market it like they marketed "Beauty and the Beast"- have some posters with happy colors with the cute characters, and have more 'serious' posters for the older audiences.

I'm surprised that no one has ever written a book exclusively about the production of TBC (hey, maybe that could be my job when I graduate...that'd actually be really cool). If a book were made, then Disney could partner with whoever made the book (would Disney ever publish a book about it?) to get information for some bonus features...not that Disney wouldn't know about the production of the film, but if a book were published, they could let the author(s) of the book do a lot of the necessary research.

I do love Disney, but they withhold a lot of animation from us (heck, they took out "The Martins and the Coys" segment from "Make Mine Music"- a whole segment!), and they completely deny Sunflower's existance, and they won't release "The Sweatbox" or "Song of the South". Or how about "Destino"...they have postponed that film's release, too. Until some of these see the light of day, I can't imagine Disney releasing the extra-scary deleted scenes from TBC. I just want to know if they actually exist. People, get jobs with Disney where you can go into the archives!!! That's a dream for me- to go to the archives...
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Post by Rumpelstiltskin »

271286 wrote:I dont see the big deal about this film. I really dont think it qualifies for a SE release... It's not really known to the wider audience... And most kids of today don't even know the film...
Well, it belongs to the canon, and since it has a number on its back (number 25), there will be a lot of people buying it for this reason only (even if I'm in general not a fan of collecting movies without having any intentions of actually seeing them).
Its production is also a part of the Disney studio's animation history, and it would be sad if it was never released to public. This film is also one of the last cel animated films Disney ever made, with good old analoge tools and techniques (the three next cel animated movies; The Mouse Detective, Oliver and Co. and The Little Mermaid, each contains their share of intersting background material). We will probably never see a big budget cel animated movie again, and The Black Cauldron is one is only a few from the modern age.

I guess there is nothing else to do to wait to see if Disney decides to give it a shot. Even if the movie itself isn't as well known as the other classics, a documentary about it would still be very fascinating.

Just because it was a flop back then, doesn't mean future generations won't like it. Fantasia and others were not great successses either. But if Disney are trying to hide and forget the movie, how can it ever be "discovered"?
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Post by Scamander »

In the current german Disney Flyer is a Special Edition of the Black Cauldron for early 2009 advertised. There are no information about the extras or if it will be a 2-disc-edition (what I doubt).
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Post by Flanger-Hanger »

Post a pic please if you can!

I always thought Disney would wait until 2010 to re-release the film (Disney's 25th Animated Classic celebrates it's 25th Anniversary!) but oh well. This is one of the few DAC I was planning on re-buying for blu-ray sine the previous DVD didn't have anamorphic enhancement. That and the deleted scenes together alone would make me want to double dip.
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Post by Scamander »

As you can see it's temporarily the old cover but that's normal. The Cover for "The Sword in the Stone" Anniversary-Edition is also the old. The release-date isn't anymore december 2008 but was deferred.

Scannen0003.jpg (1.7 MB)
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Post by yukitora »

ugh, I really hated this movie, but if my city every gets the SE, I'd buy it in an instant.
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Post by Widdi »

A well made special edition of The Black Cauldron could become one of the best Disney DVDs ever. I don't think there is an animated classic with more history behind it than this one.

Too bad all Disney cares about is the $$$.
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Post by Barbossa »

Undoubtedly, reyquila is buying!

(I will probably be too 8) )
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