Psyched for upcoming Black Cauldron release?

[DisneyBoy]

The 25th Disney Animated Feature The Black Cauldron should be getting rereleased this summer (on what format I can't recall) with some deleted scenes in there. Which is a big deal, given how dark the movie was, and how Disney has tried to keep it in the vault for years.

I for one can't wait to see what Disney does release, and how they frame the deleted material. Will they include as much as they have? Or will this simply be a tease, to see if there's now an audience for a full-on, dark, director's cut?

Yeah, maybe that's too much to hope for...but I am excited and want to know who else is with me.

 

[catlove390]

That's great! I hope this is true..what's the source, please?

Cat

 

[Michael24]

Awesome! The Black Cauldron was the first Disney movie (of any kind) I ever saw in the theater and I've not seen it since, so I'm looking forward to this.

 

[DisneyBoy]

Hmmm...let's see where I can find the info online.

http://www.dvdizzy.com/dvdschedule3.html#bottom

It's on that site, if you scroll down to "BEYOND MAY 25TH" you'll see it there.

 

[catlove390]

Hey, thanks!

Cat

 

[Ed Liu]

For what it's worth, this DVD has been advertised a few times, but Disney hasn't issued an official press release for it, so really anything about it (release date, bonus features, whatever) are up in the air. I've been keeping my eye on it in the background, but still nothing yet.

 

[J. B. Warner]

I've been giving some serious thought recently to revisiting all the WDFA films on DVD in the near future, and I knew this would probably be the hardest one to find. Knowing that it's going to be re-released is quite the burden off my shoulders (I thought I'd have to go prowling on eBay or something).

The Black Cauldron has always kind of fascinated me, for the reason that it's just so different from anything else Disney had been doing at the time, and that there was so much of it that we never got to see. Sure, it's not what one would call a classic, but it's certainly intriguing.

 

[Jon Cooke]

I've been giving some serious thought recently to revisiting all the WDFA films on DVD in the near future, and I knew this would probably be the hardest one to find. Knowing that it's going to be re-released is quite the burden off my shoulders (I thought I'd have to go prowling on eBay or something).

The Black Cauldron has always kind of fascinated me, for the reason that it's just so different from anything else Disney had been doing at the time, and that there was so much of it that we never got to see. Sure, it's not what one would call a classic, but it's certainly intriguing.

J.B. - I have been (slowly) doing the same thing (revisiting all the Disney animated features on DVD, including ones I haven't seen since I was a kid and the handful I have never seen at all). The Black Cauldren remains one of the films I have never seen. Disney kept it pretty well buried for most of my childhood and by the time it did surface on VHS I didn't exactly have much interest in seeing it.

 

[Michael JJ]

The Black Cauldren? Awesome, one of the few Disney animated features I don't own. I only saw it once, when I rented it a few years ago. It didn't leave me with a very strong impression, but I still might shell out the money to get it.

 

[Gorbash]

I heard the trailer for the upcoming dvd release was put on the PatF DVD. Is this true?

(If so, then yay.)

 

[Ethereal]

I had almost the exact same experience as Michael JJ. Grew up watching the old Disney classics, and stumbled upon THE BLACK CAULDRON at a video rental store around the age of 9, and just didn't think highly of it.

Of course, I'd certainly be interested in "revisiting" it after all these years (even though I won't exactly be first in line to buy the upcoming DVD) - I guess for one thing, now that I'm all "grown-up", I no longer watch Films and TV for entertainment purposes alone.

About the film itself, for starters it's as clear as the living day that EILONWY'S design was AURORA/BRIAR ROSE regurgitated from Sleeping Beauty - with Bambi-like eyes.
(Reminds me of Lady Tremaine's design from Cinderella being reworked into Madame Adelaide Bonfamille in The Aristocats)

Not that this hindered my appreciation of Eilonwy as a CHARACTER - and in fact, I think the recycling of designs in the animation industry inadvertently reflects the existence of the lookalikes and dead ringers we find in REAL LIFE - but it's worth noting, when tracing the history of a legacy such as Disney.

When I see TARAN, I think of a hybrid of ARTHUR from The Sword in the Stone and Peter Pan - with MOWGLI'S nose from Jungle Book.

(By the way, does anyone know how old Eilonwy and Taran are supposed to be? If it was mentioned in the actual film, I've long since forgotten.....)

I think it's PARTICULARLY worth noting - from an animation/artwork standpoint - that the *LARGE EYES* which all the characters in The Black Cauldron come equipped with HERALD what would become the norm in Disney's subsequent animated features (from The Little Mermaid up until the late 90s). The dawn of a new, specific style of art.....

 

[DisneyBoy]

So...we've got our cover art, street date and extras listed...

...and it AIN'T GOOD. Well, unless you're over the moon about the proper aspect ratio and the fact that the film is remastered. Which I suppose IS good. But you all know what I wanted to see...GORE!

According to Amazon:

New bonus features:
• Deleted scene: The Fairfolk: Join Taran, Fflewddur Fflam, Gurgi, and Princess Eilonwy as they travel into the depths of the earth, and meet the Fairfolk
• The Witches’ Challenge Game: In order to defeat the dark powers of the Horned King, you must get the magical sword. The sword is held by the Witches of Morva. Solve their riddles and the sword is yours
Plus classic DVD features:
• Still frame gallery – Gallery of behind-the-scenes artwork and photos
• Theatrical trailer: Original theatrical trailer
• Quest For The Black Cauldron: Race to reach the Black Cauldron before the evil Horned King does in this trivia game
• Trick Or Treat: Donald Duck cartoon from 1952

 

[Gorbash]

This relates to the film. Ahem, more pictures of that guy getting dissolved were found and they are not the things you wanna see in the morning.

Click at your own discretion

 

[Astrolupine]

Good heavens!
As a Disney fan and a horror fan, I'm divided upon wanting this scene to have been in the final cut.

 

[DisneyBoy]

I just came upon these pictures two days ago. They sold for quite a pretty penny at auction.

Disney should realize that at SOME point, they're going to release the cut footage. We want to see it, it's a fascinating part of Disney lore...much in the same way that they can't bury Song of the South, folks will always remember The Black Cauldron. Stop fretting about making money off pretty "Anniversary" editions with silly games, and just release a version for the adult collectors, available through a website or something, with a really big sticker on it that says "Not For Children". Have Leonard Maltin do a little intro you can't fast forward through explaining why the movie was a misstep, and why Disney has restored the film, etc.

SIGH. It can't be too much to ask for. It's ANIMATION. No one will be hurt by it. It's not like we're talking about a scene like this that was cut from The Little Mermaid - what damage will it do to a film that no one really loves and that went wildly, insanely over budget?

Gah!

 

[Peter Paltridge]

I just came upon these pictures two days ago. They sold for quite a pretty penny at auction.

Disney should realize that at SOME point, they're going to release the cut footage. We want to see it, it's a fascinating part of Disney lore...much in the same way that they can't bury Song of the South, folks will always remember The Black Cauldron. Stop fretting about making money off pretty "Anniversary" editions with silly games, and just release a version for the adult collectors, available through a website or something, with a really big sticker on it that says "Not For Children". Have Leonard Maltin do a little intro you can't fast forward through explaining why the movie was a misstep, and why Disney has restored the film, etc.

SIGH. It can't be too much to ask for. It's ANIMATION. No one will be hurt by it. It's not like we're talking about a scene like this that was cut from The Little Mermaid - what damage will it do to a film that no one really loves and that went wildly, insanely over budget?

Gah!

I echo you, and on top of that, THIS MOVIE IS ALREADY PG. THE CUTS WERE TO GAIN A G AND WERE FUTILE! Just let us have what the studio was punished for anyway!

 

[Starlioness]

I was psyched for the release until the deleted scene was just more of the fairfolk.. guess we'll never see the fuil cut of Fantasia either

 

[darkdetective]

The review is up here.

 

[DisneyBoy]

Took a gander at the DVD today in stores, and was pretty floored that they made the DVD cover even less nice than what we were expecting. Bad enough the characters are off-model (much more when you see them in-person), but the background is lacking any of those far-off details. Instead? We get really poor resolution-looking add-ins of the fairies.

Disney? FAIRIES WILL NOT SELL THIS MOVIE! Anyone who knows about knows it is the darkest of the movies in the Disney canon and are picking it up to see that (and the lost footage). Those who don't know the film and pick it up because it has fairies on the front will show it to their young kids and be FURIOUS that it's as dark and depressing a film as it is. So stop dressing this up as something it isn't.

*sigh* Read a few reviews, and really...this release seems like a total "skip it". Maybe some day Disney will at least get people together to do a commentary track. Without at least that, what's the point?

-Remaster the movie
-Remaster the deleted scene
-Splice them together and label the film case accordingly
-Get Leonard Maltin to explain at the start of the DVD why this might be intense for kids
-Record a commentary track with the directors or whoever, just to keep the history in perspective

THAT would be a DVD worth buying. This? Has the correct aspect ratio, but...no other real draw.

 

[Shedarian]

I have one question to "Black Cauldron" fans. When I may find deleted scene which released on Special Edition of "Black Cauldron"? I very want to see this scene.