by Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Disney is working its way through its entire roster of animated classics, giving us live-action versions of the animated films beauty and the beast, Aladdin, Little mermaidAnd even MoanaBut all of those films made records. If Disney had any courage, they would go the opposite direction and make a live-action remake of the film Black cauldron. The 1985 film is terrible, but the source material, Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain, is full of untapped potential, and the five-book series should have been adapted for years.
Breeden Records
During the 1960s, Lloyd Alexander was able to release an entire quintet in five years, in between Book of Three In 1964 and High King In 1968. He joined Black cauldron (1965), The castle is complete (1966), and Taran Wanderer (1967), the saga tells the story of Taran, an assistant pig farmer in charge of the pig Hin Win, who can predict the future, on his journey to save the land from the Lord of Death and his right-hand man, the Horned King. Because it's written for children, The Chronicles of Prydain is one of the best entry points into high fantasy, which is why it's a shame that Disney He slaughtered her very badly.
Black cauldron Adapted from the first two novels, but calling it a loose adaptation is a stretch, it's more like an axe-job. Although the film includes most of the same characters, the sensitive but ferocious Eilonwy, the poet Fliodor Flam, and Georgi, the bizarre ape-like human-animal hybrid, it also adds in the Horned King, while omitting the novel's villain, Morgan the Dark Warrior. What's worse is the ending, which avoids the novel's theme, which is sacrifice for a more optimistic victory.
The movie that almost killed Disney
Despite the change from the novel. Black cauldron It was considered too dark for a children's film, especially a Disney animated film. Disney's first PG animated film and the first to include CGI, it was also the most expensive animated film ever produced, costing $44 million. Of course, it was also a box office failure, causing the company to lose so much money that it almost destroyed DisneyRaw Little mermaid He started the Disney Renaissance and saved the company.
Ambitious but flawed Black cauldron It may have failed as a film, but the richness of Lloyd Alexander's world-building manages to peak around the edges. If each book were made into a live-action movie, Rise of Taran would be a huge success, exploring the world in Book of Three To explore his past in Taran Wandererthe elements of the next big fantasy franchise are there. However, after Disney's failure, no one touched the property for nearly 40 years.
It's not fair, especially in a world with multiple mods Chronicles of Narniaanother Hollywood series that doesn't seem to be going well, so why not give The Chronicles of Prydain a second chance? No one has ever asked for a Lion King prequel about Mufasa or a live-action one Moanabut a new fantasy franchise suitable for all ages, bringing some of the most underrated novels to life, because why not? Black cauldron It was a historic failure, but The Chronicles of Prydain is a huge success waiting to be discovered.
