It has been reported that a live-action remake of the 1985 Disney movie, The Black Cauldron, is currently in the works. The report came from Daniel Richtman, a writer/journalist known for his inside scoops, although other than his reveal that the film is being remade, there is no news yet on whether it will be a cinema release or another in the long line of projects announced for Disney+.
The Black Cauldron will be the latest in a long line of remakes from the studio, following the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Pete's Dragon, and Beauty And The Beast.
But the question we have to ask is this: Is a live-action remake of The Black Cauldron a good thing? We will remind you of the original 1985 movie below, and then explain why we think this upcoming live-action remake could be a bad idea.
Disney's The Black Cauldron
Disney's 1985 movie is set during the Middle Ages and takes place in the fictional land of Prydain. It was the 25th animated movie from the studio and was the first to receive a PG-rating due to some dark scenes within the film's story.
It tells the story of a young pig-keeper called Taran who, with his friends Gurgi, Fflam, and the Princess Eilonwy, goes up against the evil Horned King, a dastardly menace looking to use the mystical object of the Black Cauldron to destroy the world.
The animated film was based on the first two books in The Chronicles of Prydain series and had a stellar voice cast, including legendary director John Huston as the narrator of the piece, and John Hurt as the Horned King.
It was notable for being the first Disney animated movie to feature computer-generated imagery, and at the time, was the most expensive animated movie ever made. When test screenings proved too scary for the little ones, it was recut and edited to make the film less bed-wettingly intense. It still received the PG-rating, however, which was an indication that this film wasn't as family-friendly as some other movies in Disney's back catalog.
Unfortunately, the film wasn't a success, and it almost brought the studio to its knees. Made on a budget of $44 million, it only made $21.3 million domestically, and this was partly because it was a tough movie to market to audiences.
As it featured a terrifying skull-headed villain, violent scenes that were too extreme for very young children, and a large amount of blood-letting, it was aimed towards the teenage market rather than the junior market, but this was to the film's downfall. Older kids weren't interested in a Disney animated movie. In 1985, they were flocking to see The Breakfast Club and Back To The Future, two films that were more in line with their tastes at the time.
So, with older kids uninterested in Disney's dark movie, and with parents unwilling to expose their little ones to a movie that could give them terrible nightmares after seeing it, the film flopped, big time! And this is one of the reasons why a live-action remake might be a bad idea.
Should A Movie With A Bad Reputation Get A Live-Action Remake?
Unlike The Lion King, Aladdin, and Lady and The Tramp, three other Disney movies that have recently been remade, The Black Cauldron is not a film that is fondly remembered. Not only did it fail financially, but it was given bad reviews by the critics too. While lauded as being technically brilliant, the film was criticized for moving away from the literary source material it was derived from and for its lack of originality. "This is a movie that knows how to do everything but tell a story," said one reviewer on the film's Metacritic page. So, as it was one of those rare Disney animated films that failed to impress audiences and critics alike, it might seem odd that it is getting a live-action remake.
Of course, today's filmmakers could put right the things that went wrong with the original movie, and as today's children are less immune to dark and scary things, it might be that the film will be better received. Pete's Dragon, another Disney flop, was remade in 2016, and that was much better than expected, so it might be that a live-action remake of The Black Cauldron isn't a bad idea after all. However, that leads us to our next point, as no matter how good the film might end up being, we have to ask ourselves another question.
Isn't It Time The House Of Mouse Gave Us Something New?
Beginning with the 2010 release of Alice in Wonderland, we have been blessed, and sometimes cursed, by a long line of remakes that have followed ever since. While some of them have been very well-received, The Jungle Book and Beauty And The Beast among them, there are others that have been seen as pointless reimaginings. The Lion Ling was technically brilliant but proved unnecessary to those who were fans of the original, and Aladdin, Dumbo, and Lady And The Tramp received mixed reviews from critics.
The Black Cauldron isn't the only movie on Disney's slate of upcoming remakes. Bambi, Mulan, and The Sword In the Stone are among the other 21 movies due to receive a live-action update over the next few months and years, but will audiences start to tire of them? By the time the remake of The Black Cauldron comes along (there is no news of a release date yet), it might be that audience interest will have dropped in the project, especially if they have started craving for something more original. For some of us, the release of yet another live-action remake is already reason enough to groan and contemplate the death of originality in the world of film.
Is The Live-Action Remake Of The Black Cauldron A Good Idea?
The Black Cauldron is a mostly unloved film and one that is rarely remembered by others. It will also be another in a long line of Disney remakes that could one day be considered unwanted by movie audiences. For these reasons, this writer believes the idea of a live-action remake is a bad idea. If you're already jaded by Disney's insistence to remake everything in existence from its back catalog, you might also feel the same.
Still, the film might surprise us, so we will have to wait and see. There are no other details to report on the remake just yet, but as news starts to trickle out from the House of Mouse, it might be that we become a little more excited by the project when we know more about it down the line.