The Black Cauldron And The Sword In The Stone are both films made by Disney in the 1900s. Although not as successful as some of Disney’s other works, more and more fans have started to appreciate and enjoy what the movies have to offer.
The Black Cauldron follows Taran, a young boy whose job is to care for a pig, but he inadvertently fulfills his dream of becoming a warrior, growing as a person, and even willing to make sacrifices to protect others. The Sword In The Stone is about Arthur who is more focused on reality than on his dreams, making him much different from Taran. He grows to become more open-minded and eventually discovers that he is the rightful king.
10 Black Cauldron: The Visuals Make the Villain Look Terrifying
The film has themes and visuals much darker than what more recent animated Disney films would dare to have. It’s clear that some risks were taken in the film, as it made the Horned King a grotesque, inhuman villain with an overwhelming presence. This, combined with his skeletal warriors and his rather gruesome death, was a rather daring choice to make in animation, similar to The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. While some children may not like this, fans who have rewatched it years later have grown a fondness for the movie’s dark tones.
9 Sword In The Stone: The Wizard Duel Is Fun And Creative
Madam Mim is one of the Disney villains who just relishes how evil she is. She tries to harm Arthur, but Merlin quickly steps in so they can settle things with a magical duel.
It is a battle of wits in which they turn into animals in an attempt to defeat the other, leading to a back and forth of magical transformations. As expected, Madam Mim is quick to cheat, but Merlin outsmarts her with his knowledge of the future by turning into a germ.
8 Black Cauldron: The Movie Makes Taran The Disney Princess
It is typical of Disney princesses to long for a life of adventure, something more than their daily, boring lives. Taran starts off as a boy who is tasked with caring for a magical pig, and is reasonably dissatisfied with his life. He often daydreams about being a hero. When he is thrown into the dungeon, Princess Eilonwy is the one who rescues him, casually telling him that he can follow her out of his cell if he wishes to. He even obtains an animal familiar in the form of Gurgy and finds love.
7 Sword In The Stone: Merlin Teaches Lessons From The Perspective Of Different Animals
Merlin focuses his efforts entirely on giving Arthur experiences outside of just doing chores for his superiors or even honing his physical strength. By turning Arthur into different animals, it allows Arthur to not only see things from different perspectives, but it teaches him to think outside of the box when confronted with predators bigger and stronger than he is. It also made Arthur realize that he could amount to something, as he was initially convinced that he could never be a knight due to being an orphan.
6 Black Cauldron: There Is No Singing
Thankfully, this film is one of Disney’s few non-musical animated flicks. To have any character burst into song would more than likely ruin the atmosphere, not to mention many of the characters do not have voices suited for singing.
The film focuses more on action and the character interactions. It also makes the characters seem more human, given that most characters burdened with the responsibility of saving the world usually wouldn’t start to sing.
5 Sword In The Stone: There Are Likable Characters
Arthur is a modest, responsible young boy who is incredibly down to earth at the start. When confronted with magic, he usually responds with wonder and confusion, as it defies everything that he used to think was common sense. It is so enjoyable to see him experience magic because it is the first time he expresses true enjoyment and his desires. Merlin is also very likable, much like the Fairy Godmother, who is a little ditzy but well-meaning and able to cast fantastic spells.
4 Black Cauldron: Ordinary People Are On A Self-Imposed Quest
Princess Eilonwy, Taran, and Fflewddur Fflam are actually ordinary people who don’t personally have extraordinary physical strengths. Eilonwy is clever, relying on her talent for sneaking to slip past others. Taran is incredibly relatable, being a young boy who is a dreamer and is scrambling to fix his mistakes. He is eager to do the right thing, but sometimes things refuse to go his way. Fflewddur Fflam is a bard who got swept up in the quest, but he learns to stand up for himself at the end.
3 Sword In The Stone: The Film Has A Good Message
Merlin always emphasizes the importance of brains over brawn. His lessons often incorporated references to the future, to show Arthur just how much humanity was capable of as long as they put their mind to it. By honing their intelligence, humanity also made a large number of discoveries that Arthur had a hard time believing. Often put in life-or-death situations, Arthur often had to think quickly in order to avoid dangerous creatures like the wolf and the hawk.
2 Black Cauldron: Gurgi’s Sacrifice Relieved Fans For A Short While
Unfortunately, no film can be absolutely perfect. Gurgi is easily the least likable character in the entire movie, as he not only has a voice of nails on chalkboard, but he abandons the other characters at the first sign of danger and steal at opportune times. Many fans do not like him, to the point where they celebrated his heroic sacrifice of throwing himself into the cauldron, which took him out of the movie for a short time.
1 Sword In The Stone: The Film’s Comedy And References To The Future Still Hold Up
This film is perfect for people who are in the mood for a good laugh. Merlin is often absent-minded, and that leads to his spells going awry or things getting tangled up in his ridiculously long beard. Arthur’s adoptive father is also a source of many of the laughs, as he is determined to remain in charge, but is rightfully cautious of Merlin’s power. He finds himself getting caught up in Merlin’s spells, and is at one point confused for a dish. Merlin’s references to the future are of things that still exist today: airplanes, gravity, space, among other things.
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