Disney rumour: a new Live Action “Black Cauldron”

[Nebulous]

The Chronicles of Prydain were my gateway into fantasy books. Hell yeah I'm excited if this turns out to be true

Me too, if done right, they are a masterful entry into fantasy stories. I support a series of these books into film!

 

[Sacrosanct]

So stoked if this is true. They were the books that got me into fantasy in the first place. And they were ahead of their time. Taran might be the main character technically, but it's Eilonwy who is the smartest and toughest character. Unusual at the time to make a girl like that in a fantasy series.

 

[Nebulous]

So stoked if this is true. They were the books that got me into fantasy in the first place. And they were ahead of their time. Taran might be the main character technically, but it's Eilonwy who is the smartest and toughest character. Unusual at the time to make a girl like that in a fantasy series.

The last book of the series was especially gut wrenching and adult, it was way ahead of Harry Potter in terms of such adult themes. Lloyd Alexander is a name you don't hear anymore and it's a shame.

That's the cover I had! I remember it vividly, and was around the time I got into DnD as a kid.

 

[Eltab]

What I had ever heard about The Black Cauldron was that it was a flop and not well-received; no usual Disney songs in the animation; it cost (not made) money; a lot of disappointed parents with scared kids would not go see it a second time.
I was a teenager and "too cool for a Disney cartoon" at the time.
If Disney wants to try again and do it better, go ahead. I'll have something new (to me) to consider going to see.

 

[Zardnaar]

Barely remember them. Read them 1988 iirc. Remember the name Taran, and some sort of lunch like figure keeping his soul locked away.

Vaguely remember the Black Cauldron movie.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

It would not surprise me at all if this turned into a series on Disney+, the same way they are doing a new series on there for the Percy Jackson books.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

It is true that they paid for the option to do it...time will tell if that goes anywhere.

The series is very popular and well known, for the book and not the movie, which would probably be forgotten if not for Disney keeping it alive in places like Disney+.

I actually do hope this rumor is true, as big-budget fantasy is always something I'm rooting for, and I was someone who really liked the look of Black Cauldron as a kid (even though the Horned King gave me nightmares).

I do think that Disney just buys a bunch of IPs, sometimes solely to sit on them so others can't use them. I'd be very surprised to see Disney return to that property, solely because I'm sure the legacy of the animated film's failure is considered a taboo warning for staff.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I think it's possible. My suggestion for future titles would be an adaptation of the graphic novel "the sword of the swashbuckler" and a cartoon about version of batrachomyomachia as a soft parody of space-opera sagas.

* Spoiler: the heroes of Dragonlance will be in the third movie of Wreck-It Ralph and in Toy Story 5 as "guest artists".

 

[Rygar]

Two things about this;

1. Loved the animated movie. It is really freaky for a kid to watch, I mean the Horned King easily outstrips any other animated one in how scary he is.

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2. Seriously doubt this is actually true. People don't know this, but the animated Black Cauldron almost bankrupted Disney, and the movie is known as "The film that almost killed Disney." I highly doubt anyone wants to revisit a property that nearly destroyed them.

It's at least partially true. Disney reacquired the rights to the Prydain Chronicles in 2016. That said, Disney reacquired the rights in 2016 and nothing's happened since, hence I'm saying partially.

 

[Dioltach]

I'm just going to add what I've mentioned a few times on these pages: Gwyddion, not Strider, is the original spelcasting ranger.

(Also, having read and reread the Chronicles of Prydain as a kid, I was surprised to discover that the roles of good and evil are reversed in the Mabinogion: Arawn and Pryderi are good guys, and Gwyddion is a troublemaking trickster.)