Anna's Black Cauldron Page

Music: Almost a Whisper by Yanni

Welcome to Anna's Black Cauldron Page. Thirteen years ago, I was enchanted by Disney's 25th animated feature film The Black Cauldron. Today I finally own it on video cassette. For those of you who haven't seen or even heard of The Black Cauldron, this page is for you. Take a deep breath, and scroll down as I immerse you into the depths of The Black Cauldron.

The Black Cauldron: Storyline

The story of The Black Cauldron is truly universal. It is very much a story of good against evil. Taran is a young pig keeper who lives with Dallben, an old wizard. His adventure begins when he discovers that his pig Hen Wen has the power to foretell the future. Unfortunately, the evil Horned King has discovered this information as well and sends his Gwythaints to capture Hen Wen. Hen Wen knows the location of the Black Cauldron, an enormous pot, that has the ability to make the bones of the dead, Cauldron born... that is, the soulless dead come back to life. The Horned King gathers the bones of the slain in the hopes of forming an army of skeletal warriors in order to rule Prydain.

Taran, in an effort to rescue his pig is captured by the Horned King. He meets Princess Eilonwy who helps him escape from the Horned King's evil palace, and eventually our lone hero is joined by a band of friends who aid him in his quest to destroy the Horned King and stop the Black Cauldron.

The Black Cauldron: Cast of Characters

Taran of Caer Dallben (Grant Bardsley): Taran is the assistant pig keeper who longs to be a warrior. At the end of his adventure he learns that heroes are judged by the strength of their hearts not of their swords.

Princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan): Eilonwy is a sassy young woman who is also a prisoner in the Horned King's palace. She is always accompanied by her magic bauble, a bright, spherical being who always lights her path. Eilonwy is Taran's love interest.

Gurgi (John Byner): Gurgi is a creature of the forest. Small, hairy and spunky, he is always looking for munchings and crunchings. While Gurgi always runs away from danger, he proves himself a true friend in the end. NOTE: Gurgi is NOT a dog!

Fflewder Fflam (Nigel Hawthorne): Fflewder is an aged minstrel who is prone to exaggeration. He carries a magic harp which snaps a cord every time Fflewder tells a lie.

Hen Wen: Hen Wen is Taran's Clairvoyant pig. Since Hen knows where the Black Cauldron is hidden, he is temporarily captured by the Horned King.

Dallben (Freddie Jones): Dallben is an old wizard, master and keeper to both Taran and Hen Wen.

Doli (John Byner): Doli is the grumpiest member of the Fair Folk. He is charged by King Eidilleg to deliver our heroes safely to Morva, the hiding place of the Black Cauldron.

King Eidilleg (Arthur Malet): King Eidilleg is the ruler of the Fair Folk, a band of fairies that live underground.

The Witches of Morva: Orwen (Adele Malis-Morey), Orgoch (Billie Hayes), and Orddu (Eda Reiss Merin) keep the Cauldron hidden safely out of human hands, buried in the Marshes of Morva.

Creeper (Phil Fondacaro): Creeper is the Horned King's crafty, small, green servant.

The Horned King (John Hurt): The Horned King is a tyrant who gathers corpses to form his army of Cauldron Born. All he needs to fulfill his evil plan is the powers of the Black Cauldron.

The Black Cauldron: Animation

The Black Cauldron is Disney's 25th full length animated feature. It spanned ten years in the making and budgeted at 25 million. Under the supervision of producer Joe Hale and veteran Disney directors Ted Berman and Richard Rich, a revitalized animation department spent five years of actual production on the ambitious project. More than 200 employees worked full time on the film, including 68 animators and assistant animators. The lengthy production period of the film was due to Disney's painstaking, classical approach to animation and to the films 70 mm wide screen format that necessitated nearly twice the animation of the regular full length feature. The first animated motion picture to be shot in 70 mm since "Sleeping Beauty" in 1959, The Black Cauldron gains further distinction in the fact that it is one of a handful of movies ever to be recorded in the complicated process of stereo surround sound.
(1985 The Black Cauldron Souvenir Program)

The Chronicles of Prydain:

The Prydain Chronicles Cover

The Black Cauldron is based on a series of books by storyteller and author, Lloyd Alexander. If you are as fascinated as I am with the land of Prydain, check them out at your local library.

The Book of Three	The Black Cauldron
The Castle of Llyr	Taran Wanderer
The High King	The Foundling

The Black Cauldron: Thirteen Years Later

In late 1998, The Black Cauldron was finally released on video. As of January '99, the video is no longer being produced. Some copies still remain on store shelves, get yours while supplies last.

There have never been very many products associated with The Black Cauldron. In 1985, comic, coloring, and picture books were available... not to mention a line of plush animals (Gurgi, Hen Wen, and Doli). To celebrate the release of the Black Cauldron Video, Disney issued a line of Black Cauldron Beanies. In December of 1998, these Disney Beanies retired, but may still be found on E-bay: The Black Cauldron.

Thank you for visiting my Black Cauldron Page. I hope that I have been able to provide you with some insight into this fabulous yet often forgotten Disney film.

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All of the photographs on this page, including the background, are scanned in from my private collection. Please do not borrow them! All other clipart is provided courtesy of : Aaron's Disney Clipart Collection.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company. This webpage in entirely fan run for the enjoyment of the animated Disney Film, The Black Cauldron.