Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Despite growing up in the eighties, I seemed to completely miss Disney's 'The Black Cauldron' at the cinema and, during my numerous trips to Orlando's Disney World, I never really saw much (if any!) evidence that it even existed! I mention this because I watched it with an adult who DID see it when she was little, therefore she loved it, partly because she saw it through nostalgic eyes, whereas I merely observed it through an adult's cynical viewpoint.It's set in that well-known Disney cartoon world of magic and princesses and, in this case, apparently the story is based on an old Welsh tale (hence the vague accents which some characters attempt). A young boy is the custodian of a magic pig (yes, seriously - a swine even more powerful than Wilbur and Charlotte put together!), but this pig is wanted by an evil wizard who wants to use the pig to rule the world (and unleash an army of the undead, but I guess those two things are linked). So, when 'Babe' is kidnapped by the evil King's dragons and taken to his castle, it's up to our hero (and a couple of random others he picks up along the way) to rescue him.So, if you're thinking something along the lines of 'that's a lot of detail dedicated to the pig' then you're probably not the only one. It is a hard rasher to fry (so to speak), but, if you can get over that, it's actually a pretty good little fairytale. Yes, this means that it does suffer from all the typical fairy-tale tropes, i.e. the hero automatically bumps into a princess in need of a helping hand, a 'comic' sidekick and knowledgeable elderly helper.The characters are pretty generic, but their voice actors are decent enough to get by the - occasionally - by-the-numbers script and bring it to life enough to overlook any minor lapses. Nigel Hawthorne and John Hurt are some gravitas to the cast.I had nothing against any of the characters and was happy to enjoy them all... apart from Gurgi. There's a reason I placed the word 'comic' in quotes in my previous paragraph when referring to the 'comic' relief. Gurgi is, er, a thing - a cross between a dog, an Ewok and a Wookie and he is possibly the most annoying animated character ever committed to paint. When watching him I couldn't get Andy Serkis' CGI interpretation of Gollum in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy out of my head. Only Gollum was much darker and you could genuinely feel sorry for him, while at the same time being afraid enough of him because you knew he could turn on you at any moment. Gurgi is just annoying. Really annoying. I could say that the story's downfall is it's pacing - it is a bit hit and miss/stop and start, not quite knowing what it wants to be. However, for me, it's main flaw was simply this annoying little fur-ball. Yes, he's worse than Snarf from 'Thundercats!'It's hard to say whether I'd recommend 'The Black Cauldron' for kids. Yes, of course it's a classic Disney cartoon, however it is rather dark and there are some moments in there that may actually creep out really young children in a way that other similar films like Snow White and Cinderella don't.However, if you're looking for purely great animation and a decent enough little fairy-tale then this is definitely worth a watch. Oh, and I should probably mention that this is one of the few Disney cartoons that doesn't feature any music or songs throughout.

This movie is a rather low point in the history of Disney studios. The story revolves around a king (who looks like the Devil) who aspires to be the lord of all things, needing to get a cursed cauldron that has been hidden because of his potential evil power. And the only one who can possibly tell him where the cauldron is hidden is Taran, who has in his guard a sow with divinatory powers. Summarized, thus, its not difficult to understand the illogical confusion of this script, nor the terrible way the characters were conceived. The animations are also not very good, with a heavy, strong trace, low light and dark colors. Disney has always used us to exquisitely crafted, visually elegant and bright films. What happened here? Wasn't the theme of the film dark enough? We also have the problem of music. This film, against the habit of this renowned studio, has virtually no soundtrack. To conclude, I leave here a parental warning: this film, although it was intended for young people, is not suitable for impressionable children. At least that's my opinion. Some scenes are strong, sometimes impressive and scary.

The Black Cauldron is given a bad name by even Disney itself for nearly destroying their animation studio (it was a major flop at the box office, comparable to their films in the 1940s) and for being a departure from the typical Disney format of either musical or just light-hearted joy (for the most part), but the truth is, it only recently got the warm cult reception it deserved back in 1985. Despite having some dull moments, the acting is top notch (especially John Hurt's Horned King), the horror scares, and there is enough action (including a shockingly crude joke that left my mouth wide open) to enjoy it as much as Lloyd Alexander's series. In fact, on Rotten Tomatoes it has a higher rating than Robin Hood or a few of Disney's early-mid 2000s films (55%), which I guess can be agreed with seeing how many critics didn't appreciate the new format, though its execution is not something to be glossed over. See it for yourself; I enjoyed it, but I can't guarantee, especially if you like older Disney films, that your rating will be just as or more favorable.

I watched this movie expecting a movie for children but a while in I had to notice that it is not at all suitable for children under the age of 6 or even 10. Other than Bambi for example the unsuitable content isn't limited to one scene but is pulled through half of the movie beginning with the body and ending with the movie. The beginning is cute and the characters are nice and funny but now and then you feel a bit freaked out by some situations. The tension is built up in the body and explodes in the final leaving young minds exposed to the spooky action terror drama set up at the end. If I had seen this movie at primary school age I'd be traumatized and I would have the permanent fear of losing someone. To put it in a nutshell for me it was a big mistake and I am desperately disappointed in Disney.