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The black cauldron

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Hidden by darkness. Discovered by a boy. Stolen by a king. Whoever owns it will rule the world!

Disney's 25th full-length animated classic, The black cauldron is a heroic adventure that fills the screen with magic and wonder.

Overflowing with colourful characters, trailblazing animation and non-stop action, this critically acclaimed film can now be enjoyed on video for the first time ever.

In the mystical land of Prydain, a young boy named Taran (Grant Bardsley), who dreams of a future as an invincible warrior, finds himself leading a real-life quest. In a race against the evil Horned King (John Hurt), Taran must be the first to find the mysterious black cauldron - or the Horned King will unleash its power and take over the world. With the help of a magic sword, an enchanting princess, an adorable clairvoyant pig and a funny little furry creature named Gurgi (John Byner), Taran overcomes winged dragons, the king's monstrous henchmen, three batty witches and more - and learns nothing is as powerful as courage and friendship.

Persons of interest

  • Grant Bardsley .... Taran
  • Susan Sheridan .... Eilonwy
  • Freddie Jones .... Dallben
  • Nigel Hawthorne .... Fflewddur Fflam
  • Arthur Malet .... King Eidilleg
  • John Byner .... Gurgi, Doli
  • Eda Reiss Merin .... Orddu
  • Adele Malis-Morey .... Orwen
  • Billie Hayes .... Orgoch
  • John Hurt .... Horned King
  • Phil Fondacaro .... Creeper
  • John Huston .... Narrator

Non-agency intellgence sources

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Scary, scary monsters!

I and my flatmate watched this at half past midnight, one wild, wet, and windy winter's night, and we both hid behind pillows.

There are a lot of scary things about this film that might be a bit much for your younger viewer, but there are also lots of bits that will delight and amuse (even for the grown-ups). I think that I should also mention that there are no songs. What where they thinking?

The story itself is interesting but disjointed, having ideas and images throughout that appear to have been plucked from a variety of mythologies (Star wars, Macbeth, Robin Hood, The smurfs) then mixed up in a great big Disney cauldron. There's no surprise that it never made theatrical release, but it's certainly a good watch on video. And, surprise of surprises, the main characters don't have American accents! Horrors! What will be next? Irony?

Media intelligence (DVD)

  • Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
  • Languages: Danish, English, Norwegian
  • Picture: Widescreen (2.35:1)
  • Special features:
    • Animated short: Trick or treat
    • Galleries: Stills
    • Game: Quest for the cauldron
  • Subtitles: Closed captions, Danish, English, English captions, Norwegian

Security censorship classification

PG (Low level violence)

Not for public release in Australia before date

Film: Undated 1999
DVD retail: 4 June 2003
VHS retail: 4 June 2003

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