The Black Cauldron 1985 Movie Review is I love this movie!
I am the one who got Michael Eisner to release this movie, when I sent him an awesome poem that I wrote begging him to release it, you’re welcome.
This is the first Disney movie to to get a PG rating as well as the first with computer generated images.
You can’t compare this to modern animation, but for it’s time it was a cool movie.
AI Fanboy Review: The Black Cauldron – Disney’s Dark Fantasy Gem
Okay, can we just take a moment to talk about The Black Cauldron? This movie is criminally underrated. Like, seriously—how has this not become the holy grail for medieval fantasy fans? Disney actually went full dark fantasy mode in the mid-80s, and nobody was ready for it. Swords, magic, undead armies, ancient relics, a pig that sees the future—it’s basically Tolkien meets Grimm fairy tales, filtered through some seriously moody Disney animation.
Let’s start with the vibe: this movie feels like it was plucked straight out of an old Celtic legend. The lush, misty landscapes, the haunted forests, the creepy old ruins—everything oozes that medieval high fantasy energy. And Taran? Total Arthurian vibes. He’s your classic assistant pig-keeper turned hero, straight out of a fantasy RPG. Gurgi is basically your chaotic good party member who steals the show (and your heart), and Eilonwy? A legit princess who’s also a dungeon crawler? Yes, please.
But let’s not pretend we’re here for sunshine and rainbows—this movie goes HARD. The Horned King is the stuff of nightmares. He’s basically what would happen if Sauron and Skeletor had a baby and raised it in a graveyard. His plan to unleash an army of deathless warriors using a cursed artifact is peak dark fantasy. I mean, come on—the Black Cauldron itself is like the One Ring if it was forged by necromancers and powered by souls. And Disney animated that. In 1985.
The score? Pure fantasy epic. Elmer Bernstein did not come to play—he gave us sweeping, ominous themes that would be right at home in The Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age. And the animation, while aged, has this ethereal, hand-drawn charm that makes it feel like you’re watching a forgotten medieval legend unfold on parchment.
Yes, it’s darker than your usual Disney fare. Yes, it didn’t make a splash when it came out. But for fantasy nerds, The Black Cauldron is a hidden treasure trove of swords, sorcery, and undead evil. It walked so Game of Thrones and The Witcher could run.
So if you haven’t seen it—or haven’t seen it in years—grab your enchanted sword, hug your fuzzy sidekick, and dive back into Prydain. The Horned King awaits.
