41 Years Ago Today, Disney Released A Box Office Failure Too Dark for Kids But There Was An Upside

Disney has released dozens of iconic, beloved, and commercially successful movies throughout the years, defining generations of children with their memorable songs, characters, and animation. However, that’s not what we’re talking about today. Instead, it is time to look back on one of Disney’s most notorious failures, which hit theaters 41 years ago today.

The last movie that Walt Disney personally worked on was 1967’s The Jungle Book, and after his death in 1966, the company was lost. Walt Disney was the visionary who had spearheaded the company’s feature developments since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and without his magic touch, Disney went through a dark period for a few years. Throughout the 70s, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and The Rescuers signaled a decline in the company, both commercially and critically. While these movies are still good, they weren’t as beloved as Disney’s previous works. So, after another disappointment in the form of 1981’s The Fox and the Hound, Disney decided to take a big swing in order to get things back on track.

The Black Cauldron Hit Theaters 41 Years Ago Today (& It Nearly Killed Disney)

In the first five decades of its feature efforts, Disney became known for child-friendly, uplifting, colorful stories that wowed audiences and left them feeling good. However, this would change on July 24, 1985, with the release of The Black Cauldron. Based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series, the dark fantasy movie tells the story of a peasant pig herder who must go on an adventure to defeat the Horned King and save the kingdom of Prydain. With a massive budget of $44 million and a tonal direction completely different from Disney’s typical fare, The Black Cauldron was the revolutionary effort that Disney needed in order to put the company back in the spotlight.

However, problems started even before the film’s release. Disney optioned the books for adaptation in the early 1970s, hoping to make a more mature film that would appeal to teenage audiences. However, difficulties related to the film’s complicated animation style caused the film’s release date to be pushed from 1980 to 1984, the beginning of the film’s development limbo. Tonal problems and a revolving door of directors led to further difficulties, with the movie not being ready until 1984. However, a test screening led to Disney receiving feedback that several scenes were too disturbing for children. So, Disney studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg pushed the movie back to July 1985, demanding that scenes be cut. The Black Cauldron was cut by 12 minutes, while other scenes were reanimated.

Even with these changes, The Black Cauldron wound up being the first-ever Disney animated film to receive a PG rating. The movie’s $44 million made it Disney’s most expensive animated movie ever, making its mere box office of $21.3 million a massive blow to Disney. The film was outgrossed by The Care Bears Movie, as well as Disney’s own rerelease of One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and in its opening weekend, it came in fourth place after a re-release of E.T., Back to the Future, and National Lampoon’s European Vacation. The massive failure of The Black Cauldron gave the new executives at Disney, including Katzenberg and Michael Eisner, the green light to make some major changes to the then-called Walt Disney Productions team.

Disney’s feature animation team was moved from the Disney lot in Burbank to warehouses in Glendale, and the team was rebranded as Walt Disney Feature Animation. The first film after these changes was 1986’s The Great Mouse Detective, which made $50 million on a $14 million budget. Many of the creatives on this team, including directors John Musker and Ron Clements, were put on The Little Mermaid, which wound up releasing in 1989. This massive hit kicked off the Disney Renaissance, an era defined by classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Hercules, Mulan, and more. This began the comeback that Disney needed to become the company that it is today, proving that Disney’s story wasn’t over after the rock-bottom that was The Black Cauldron.

Despite The Black Cauldron’s Failure, Disney May Not Be Done With It

The Black Cauldron was an overwhelming failure, making Disney’s future decisions with the franchise pretty odd. In 2016, Disney reacquired the film rights to The Chronicles of Prydain, with the company planning to develop a series of live-action movies based on The Black Cauldron source material. There has been no word on the project since this initial report, but since it hasn’t been officially cancelled, a live-action The Black Cauldron could appear sometime in the future.

This is shocking news considering that, for years after 1985, Disney wouldn’t touch The Black Cauldron with a ten-foot pole. Sadly, the recent failures of some live-action Disney remakes may have thrown plans for these movies in jeopardy. Whether or not a live-action The Chronicles of Prydain movie is a success commercially or critically, it would undoubtedly be interesting to see.

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