The Black Cauldron

The Black Cauldron is a Disney production directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich in 1985.
The story circles around different characters with the assistant pig keeper Taran in the center of the story.

He has the responsibility for a pig by the name of Hen Wen, who is an oracle and thereby capable to tell the future.

However Hen Wen is kidnapped by people working for the evil lord Horn King who thinks that Hen Wen will be able to guide him to the magical Black Cauldron, a kettle able to bring forth an unstoppable army enabling lord Horn King to become the ruler of the world.

Taran sets of to rescue Hen Wen and on the way he meets different characters - among them a princess - who either tries to help him or work against him.

He is also being helped by a magic sword, making him a fantastic warrior but will this be enough to stop the evil lord who is extremely powerful?

This is a darker Disney production than the average and that's refreshing.

Obviously it was to dark for the audience as this is the least watched Disney production ever - according to Aurore!

Why? Probably because there are blood (the only Disney film with blood in it) and real 'evil' characters and even if it ends well, the story contains a lot of 'horror', even though in a mild form.

It doesn't take much to change a concept from a winner to a looser but on the other hand I would have prefered if Disney productions were more diversified than is actually the case.

I liked the story and I don't think children of today would be frightened by it.

We have to remind us of the stories written by the Brothers Grimm and H.C. Andersen, not at all sunny and bright, n'est-ce pas?!