What if Bill Kroyer stayed at Disney?/The Black Cauldron


 * Note: this is interconnected to What if Richard Rich stayed at Disney?.

The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation in association with Silver Screen Partners II and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 25th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the first two books in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, a series of five novels that are, in turn, based on Welsh mythology.

Set in the mythical land of Prydain during the Early Middle Ages, the film centers on a wicked emperor known as the Horned King, who hopes to secure an ancient magical cauldron that will aid him in his desire to conquer the world. He is opposed by young swineherd Taran, the young princess Eilonwy, the bard Fflewddur Fflam, and a wild creature named Gurgi who seek to destroy the cauldron, to prevent the Horned King from ruling the world.

The film is directed by Bill Kroyer (in his directional debut), Ted Berman and Richard Rich, who had directed Disney's previous animated film The Fox and the Hound and The Little Engine That Could both in 1981, the first Disney animated film to be recorded in Dolby Stereo. Disney acquired the rights to the books in 1973 with production beginning in 1980, set for a Christmas 1984 release. During production, it had a severe editing process, particularly for its climactic sequence, which proved to be disturbing to children. The newly appointed Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg ordered those scenes to be cut, fearing that it would alienate children, and as a result it was delayed to 1985. It features the voices of Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, Arthur Malet, John Byner, Phil Fondacaro and John Hurt.

It was the first Disney animated film to receive a PG rating as well as the first Disney animated film to feature computer-generated imagery. The film was distributed theatrically through Buena Vista Distribution on July 26, 1985 to mixed-to-positive reviews, with critics voicing disapproval of its dark nature and disjointed writing, though the animation, soundtrack, and voice acting were praised. With the budget of $44 million, it was the most expensive animated film ever made at the time and grossed $42 million. The film has since became a box office success, leading Disney to put the future of the animation department in jeopardy, although not successful enough to be followed by a sequel.