In which the Mister and the Monsters join me in reviewing THE BLACK CAULDRON (1985), currently streaming on Disney+. Loosely based on the CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN series of books by Lloyd Alexander, the film tells the story of the evil Horned King's quest for a mystical cauldron that will enable him to raise an army of the dead and conquer the world. Only a young boy named Taran (voiced by Grant Bardsley), a princess (Eilonwy/Susan Sheridan), a bard (Fflewddur Fflam/Nigel Hawthorne) and a creature named Gurgi (voiced by John Byner) stand in his way. Will the Horned King (John Hurt) reach his diabolical goal? Co-directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich from a script credited to Ted Berman, Vance Gerry, Joe Hale, David Jonas, Roy Morita, Richard Rich, Art Stevens and Al Wilson; it was the first Disney film to receive a PG rating, feature computer-generated imagery and was only release in home video format in 1998 in part because of its commercial failure. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library
