News

Even if you've never heard his name, you know Tim Burton's work. The mastermind behind such iconic films as Batman, Beetlejuice, and The Nightmare Before Christmas has done more than just leave his mark on the world of film and animation, he's reinvented entire genres.

Having cut his teeth on Disney films like The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron before directing gothic wonderlands, Tim Burton truly has a magnificent story. Now, director Tara Wood brings us into the mind of a mad genius with a new four-part docuseries celebrating the eccentric filmmaker with an eclectic cast of familiar cast members.

Behind Burton

The announcement from The Hollywood Reporter went out just yesterday, and we're absolutely ecstatic. Especially considering just how many former collaborators are reuniting to celebrate the filmmaker.

Johnny Depp, Danny Elfman, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton are just a few famous faces shown in the trailer above,...

Gallery 1988 has released prints and original artwork from its “Back to 1985” exhibit celebrating pop culture that turns 40 this year. I’ve highlighted eight genre-related pieces.

“1985” – Jeremy Wojchihosky’s amalgam of the year’s films includes characters from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Ghoulies, The Stuff, and more. 12×12 open edition prints cost $30.

“Got Brains?” – Amanda Jablonka’s artwork of Tarman from Return of the Living Dead is available as an open edition 9×12 print for $25.

“I am Peter Vincent, vampire killer!” – Christopher Uminga pays tribute to Roddy McDowall’s horror host character in Fright Night. The original 9×12 framed watercolor artwork costs $500.

“Over His Dead Body” – Stephen Andrade imagines Clue as a vintage paperback novel. 11×17 prints come signed by the artist for $30.

“Bub” – Jimmy Read’s draws Day of the Dead‘s most iconic zombie. The 4×4 original colored pencil and ink framed piece costs $50.

“Hero vs. Villian vs. Rebel with a Bike...

As Disney aficionados can tell you, the 1980s were a rough time for the company's animation department. They had a sizable hit in 1977 with "The Rescuers", but Disney just couldn't recapture the magic. The 1981 film "The Fox and the Hound" cost a hefty $12 million, but brought in only $14.2 million domestically, which was not horrible, but not great. Notoriously, the 1985 fantasy epic "The Black Cauldron" lost a bucket of money, made for $44 million (!), and earning only $21.3 million. "The Black Cauldron" was such a bomb, there was some buzz that Disney might shutter their animation department altogether.

At least Disney racked up a modest hit the following year with "The Great Mouse Detective," a $25 million hit from a $14 million budget. That film was a Sherlock Holmes story, but posited that Holmes' apartment was the home of an anthropomorphic mouse named Basil (Barrie Ingham), a clever creature that, in observing Holmes, became a star detective for mice.

Disney’s new live action Snow White is being billed as the most hated film of all time, by people who haven’t actually seen it.

On 21st March 2025, Disney’s long-in-gestation live action take on Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs arrives in cinemas.

This is a very big deal for Disney. Given that it’s mined its back catalogue of animated hits extensively for its live action output over the last 15 years, this is the first time it’s tackled its crown jewels this way. The firm’s debut animated feature, and one of the most iconic movies in the entire Disney catalogue.

Believe the reports, and Disney has spent nearly $300m bringing the movie to life, and it’ll be looking for sizeable returns on it. Coming to that shortly. Furthermore, the movie may actually end up being not very good. I can’t call that, though,...

Some of the most beloved movies of all time weren’t immediate successes. In fact, some of them downright flopped at the box office when they first hit theaters. But the good news? A lot of those movies take on a second life as deep cuts and cult classics. The 1980s in particular were full of films that struggled to find an audience upon release, only to develop massive cult followings in the years that followed.

From fantasy epics to bizarre horror films, the ‘80s were a breeding ground for misunderstood masterpieces. While critics and audiences might not have appreciated them at the time, these films have found redemption thanks to devoted fans, home video sales, and pop culture reappraisals. From the midnight movie to the cult fave, these films have outlasted many of their more traditionally successful peers.

There Can Be Only One... But No One Showed Up For...

Quick LinksDisney Unnecessarily Cut a Key Moment Between John Smith and PocahontasDisney Thought Pocahontas Would Be Bigger Than The Lion KingDisney Further Altered Pocahontas’ History in Pocahontas II

Disney'sPocahontas (1995) was highly anticipated upon its premiere. It was released in the middle of the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, when each new release from Disney was almost guaranteed to be a success. This was also roughly five years before the Disney Princess brand had been launched by the company. So, the idea of Disney Princesses was perceived somewhat differently than it is today. And Pocahontas did not perform up to Disney's own preset expectations.

Pocahontas was released on video and later DVD in various editions. For the 10th-anniversary edition DVD release, Disney included a deleted sequence between John Smith and Pocahontas. And this particular omission had the potential to remind audiences that Pocahontas' story could have played out very differently on-screen.

Disney is a studio known for creating pure magic with their films, but not even the most acclaimed artists can have a hit on their hands 100% of the time. As Disney has gone through different eras with its animation and live-action releases, the studio has had its fair share of flops. More recently, with a shift in emphasis on live-action remakes of its classic animated tales, Disney has disappointed audiences as it shallowly attempts to cultivate nostalgia by translating beautifully animated musicals into CGI-inundated, bland, poorly-written content.

Though these frequent missteps are new, Disney isn't a stranger to less-than-desirable films. The studio has had similar issues with audience reception during their early 2000s period and even back in the 1980s after Disney's first PG-rated animated film, The Black Cauldron, severely tanked at the box office. Seeing such faulty storytelling and filmmaking from Disney can be hard to stomach, especially for their most loyal fans.

For practically the past century, Disney has crafted some of the most beloved films on the big screen. Utilizing animated artistry and brilliant visual storytelling, The Walt Disney Company has enchanted and delighted entire generations.

That said, as much as we adore our favorite princesses and cartoon characters, there's something truly remarkable when the artists and filmmakers have free reign, resulting in some delightfully bizarre features. Disney+ has nearly the entire filmography of the animation studio and then some, but here are our picks for just how weird things can get at the house of mouse.

Fantasia (1940)

What better way to begin this list than with Disney's first art house film? Presented in "Fantasound" in 1940, Walt Disney's concert feature blended famous pieces of classical music with animation magic. Although this combo resulted in iconic sequences like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," it also gave the artists permission to experiment.

Look at the visuals of "Toccata in Fuge,...

Quick LinksThe Black Cauldron Is a Classic Dark FantasyIt's Comparable to Icons In the GenreThere's So Much More to Be Done With This StoryDisney Has the Opportunity to Change Their Live-Action Reputation

Walt Disney Animation Studios has been creating family-friendly films for almost a hundred years, resulting in hundreds of well-known and widely praised movies. Among the most beloved films by Disney, some underrated and nearly forgotten animated movies deserve more attention. One of these movies, The Black Cauldron, has a major cult following. Viewers don't appreciate this movie because of its iconic Disney themes, but due to its dark, frightening aspects, which make it unlike most films by the production company.

Though some Disney live-action adaptations were incredibly successful, such as The Lion King (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017), many have fallen short of expectations, making this current trend controversial. One could make the argument that Disney needs to...

Disney veteran Joe Hale, who helped bring to life a variety of beloved animated films, has passed away. He was 99 years old.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Hale died of natural causes at his home in Atascadero, California, on Jan. 29. His passing was confirmed by Beverly Hale, his wife of almost 60 years.

Joe Hale passed away at the age of 99 due natural causes. Famous producer from Walt Disney Animation Studios he worked in movies like Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians and more.We thank him for his contributions to our favorite movies may he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/lIDo7qhd0i— Dtva News (@DTVANews) February 6, 2025

Hale worked for 35 years as an animator, layout artist, and producer for Disney. He was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the effects for 1979's The Black Hole. He'd previously started his work at Disney as an inbetweener on 1951's Alice in Wonderland.

Joe Hale, who spent 35 years as an animator, layout artist and producer at Disney and received an Oscar nomination for his effects work on the 1979 film The Black Hole, has died. He was 99.

Hale died Jan. 29 of natural causes at his home in Atascadero, California, his wife of nearly 60 years, Beverly Hale, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Hale started out as an inbetweener on Alice in Wonderland (1951) and worked on such other classics as Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), The Fox and the Hound (1981), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Pete’s Dragon (1977).

In 1980, Hale was named a first-time producer on The Black Cauldron (1985), a project that had been languishing at Disney for about seven years, and he oversaw a staff of 300 artists — including a young Tim Burton — and a big budget of $44 million.

When some children found scenes in the...

For 80s kids, Disney’s The Black Cauldron was a freakishly dark entry in the company’s otherwise squeaky-clean lineup. For those born in the 90s, the movie took on new life as the terrifying rerun spammed on Toon Disney every October. Regardless of how the film is first encountered, its reception by bright-eyed tots is usually along the lines of “understandable terror.” The Black Cauldron shares its legacy with Old Yeller and Bambi as sources of Disney-approved childhood trauma. Its 1985 release prompted a bevy of disdain from critics and theatergoers. Parents complained that the movie was too scary, children were too terrified to offer reviews, and critics questioned the film’s intended demographic. By the end of its theatrical debut, The Black Cauldron joined Sleeping Beauty as one of Disney’s ambitious financial flops.

Recent retrospectives have been kinder to Ted Berman and Richard Rich’s dark fantasy tale.

Disney is renowned for its animation, but the company has still seen animated movies flop at the box office. Many of the early best Disney animated movies performed well enough at the box office, while the biggest flops came in the company's later years. This is likely due to a myriad of factors, including basic inflation meaning a greater loss. Disney also has more box office flops after the rise of 3D animation, possibly due to an increase in animated blockbusters in general, meaning more competition and higher standards.

Many box office flops become cult classics, animated Disney movies included. This reflects how the marketability and advertising strategy may not be the best representation of a movie's quality. The most underrated Disney movies are generally not the highest earners but still deserve the attention of the Disney fanbase. Unfortunately, Disney Animation is unlikely to take a chance on the same...

In recent years, more animated Disney films have received live-action theatrical remakes, but a few untouched beloved classics might work better as live-action TV shows. The response from critics and audiences to Disney's live-action remakes varies, but with the right filmmaking and creative team behind live-action projects, fan-favorite films getting such a transformation is exciting. So far, many of the remakes don't stray too far from the original plot of their animated inspirations. However, with the TV format, the story of films like The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective can be expanded upon across a limited or multiple-season series.

Live-action TV series also benefit certain movies over others when it comes to films with big casts, such as Meet the Robinsons or Encanto — stretching out a story over multiple episodes allows for more attention toward breakout supporting characters. Additionally, the vast setting of these films can be transformed into breathtaking live-action sets,...

Almost 40 years ago, Disney released a dark animated fantasy movie, The Black Cauldron, and it was so unlike the studio's offerings that it almost killed the Disney Animation department entirely. These days, everyone knows what a "Disney" animated movie feels like, and what it doesn't. It's family-friendly. There are talking animals. There's an independent princess (and sometimes a prince). There's usually some adventure, probably some songs, and more than a bit of humor. It's been a successful formula for Disney for a century.

Starting in the 1970s, though, Disney Animation veered quite sharply from its tried-and-true formula, rolling out animated offerings that didn't always work. The transition really started in the late 1960s, when the death of Walt Disney saw the creative reins handed over to a new generation of animators and storytellers. Walt Disney Animation Studios, then known as Walt Disney Productions, found itself navigating the turbulent times of...

This article contains mentions of suicide.

The Lion King's upcoming prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, is already in movie theaters, reminding fans of one of the saddest Disney deaths ever. Disney has told many stories over the years, providing audiences with characters to love and learn from. Sometimes, for an emotional gut punch, the audience is forced to say goodbye to their beloved characters.

Whether a hero or a villain, every Disney character seems to get the death they deserve, no matter how sad. From Gurgi's heartfelt sacrifice in The Black Cauldron to the tragedy of Mufasa's murder in The Lion King, Disney knows how to tug at the emotional heartstrings of its audience. Fans worldwide mourn the lives of these beloved Disney characters.

Updated on December 18, 2024, by Andrea Sandoval: While aimed at children, Disney movies contain some of the most harrowing deaths in the industry. Orphaned characters...

Quick Links Princess Eilonwy Appeared in Disney’s Box Office Bomb The Black Cauldron Princess Eilonwy Bucked Older Disney Princess Trends Not All of Disney’s Best Heroines Are Princesses

Disney has amassed a vast library of princesses since the debut of its first in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. These princesses range in popularity from well-known and highly promoted by Disney through merchandise and other avenues to highly obscure and forgotten. There's no clear metric directly from Disney for why it chooses to showcase some over the other. But it can be assumed it's based on the performance of the princess-in-question's movie. Indeed, some of the princesses included in the official Disney Princess brand aren't technically royalty.

One of these lesser-known princesses is Princess Eilonwy from The Black Cauldron (1985). Well-known as a major box office bomb for Disney, the film has become a cult classic among Disney...

Tim Burton, the director of films like Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and both Beetlejuice films is amazed that he got to make movies and build the career he has in Hollywood. Burton knows that his style of movies isn’t the norm, something clear to see considering one of his first films was a black and white stop-motion short about a boy with a fascination for horror icon Vincent Price. However, Burton is thankful that he has been able to have a film career based on what some regard as weird.

The director spoke to Deadline while at the Marrakech Film Festival, where he was asked about his relationship with Hollywood and movie studios. Even after being able to make conceptually weird films such as Beetlejuice and Ed Wood, he still feels like entering the studio system is difficult because trust isn’t exactly automatic. After decades of working for the system,...

Quick Links Writers John Musker and Ron Clements Have a Storied History With Disney Disneys Moana Is a Repackaged Version of The Little Mermaid Disneys Moana 2 Is Repeating a 1990s Disney Sequel Trend

Disney is known for its fairy-tale-based films, and often, these films involve princesses and dynamic heroines. While the studio started out telling traditional tales based on classic stories, over the years, it has branched out to incorporate more culturally representative storytelling. 2016's Moana took inspiration from Polynesian myths and set its action in the ancient island nations of Polynesia. The film featured a story by a team of artists and writers, including Disney veterans John Musker and Ron Clements, with songs by composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

When Moana first premiered, it definitely appeared to be a new and fresh film to add to the Disney canon. But as the film progresses, many familiar tropes begin to appear.

Walt Disney Animation Studios is best known for its timeless animated musicals. Since revolutionizing animation forever with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, they've become synonymous with their brand. But once in a while, and a lot more often than that during the 2000s, Disney has experimented with animated feature films that aren't musicals.

Movies like Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia prove that Disney doesn't need to rely on song and dance to tell beautiful stories. Within their catalog are brilliant fantasies, family dramas, comedies, and science-fiction films that are worth watching again and again. These movies may not be musicals, but they have all the same passion, heart, and gorgeous art and animation that Disney is known for.

The Black Cauldron is Better Than Its Reputation Suggests The Black Cauldron is a Feast for the Eyes

The Black Cauldron is infamous among Disney fans. A dark fantasy film unlike any other in the studio's catalog,...

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Disney and horror don't usually go together. The famed studio is the hallmark of family-friendly content and classic fairytales. So, when it comes to the scare factor in Disney movies, it's mostly less gore and more jump scares and horror-themed yet meaningful stories. However, Disney has the uncanny ability to tap into all sorts of genres and themes and elevate them with their wholesomeness.

Surprisingly, whether animated or live-action, the studio has successfully incorporated the fear factor into some of its stories that perfectly complement Disney's trademark storytelling. The movies that pass as scary may not make adults tremble in fear but will definitely give children nightmares. For fans who wish to enjoy lighthearted creepiness, there are more than a few spooky Disney selections.

Updated on November 5, 2024 by Robert Vaux: Disney's expansive library contains more than ten scary movies, many of which have become Halloween staples.

As seen from the yearly tradition of re-releasing perennial Halloween favorites The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus, Disney fans and movie fans keep flocking to these horror favorites to liven the season. And as seen from the box office, audiences are surely turning up.

However, the studio has a lot more in their library that can make for great Halloween traditions in the cinema. Imagine these hidden gems and cult classics getting a second life on the big screen, with seats being filled by fans and first-timers.

With that, here are five potential Disney movies that make for great re-releases for every Halloween season:

Frankenweenie (2012)

Tim Burton always knows that his comfort zone is in stories with horror undertones and paying tribute to his horror idols. So, he went for the chance to do both with adapting his 1984 short film and turning it into a black-and-white stop-motion flick.

But...

There have been so many great fantasy movies over the years that never received the box office love they deserved. As a genre that relies on viewers letting themselves be swept away by alternative worlds and stories of magical wonder, sometimes it takes a while for the value of a fantasy story to be recognized by viewers, and it is only years or decades later that a fantasy film takes its rightful place as a cult classic. Other times, movies that should have been great were handled badly, and subpar films were released that didnt reach their full potential.

Some of the biggest box office flops of all time were in the fantasy genre, as this was a style that can feel overly campy and needlessly self-important if not presented well. Its a fine line to walk, and while the best fantasy movies ever have pulled this off well, other...

Get ready to scream, laugh, and maybe even hide under your blanket! This Halloween, we’re diving into Disney’s creepiest classics. From spooky stop-motion to haunted adventures, these movies blend nostalgia with genuine scares, making them perfect for a night of family-friendly frights. Whether you’re in for some dark fantasy or sinister villains, here’s our countdown of the top 10 scariest Disney movies that will make your Halloween movie night a memorable one.

10. The Black Cauldron (1985)

Released in 1985, The Black Cauldron is famously one of Disney’s darker entries. It features an undead army led by the skeletal, evil Horned King, whose eerie voice and ominous demeanor can keep even the bravest kids on edge. The movie’s animated imagery was so intense that it became the first Disney film to get a PG rating.

Scariest Scene: The Horned King raising his army of the dead is undeniably chilling.

When Walt Disney Pictures' Wish arrived on movie screens in 2023, marketing materials heralded it as a celebration of the Disney Animation legacy, a movie loaded with Easter eggs for Disney fans to spot over the runtime. Fans who sat through the closing credits would also enjoy a montage of character portraits from every Disney animated movie to date, though keen eyes would spot one glaring omission. 1985's The Black Cauldron did not get a shout-out from Wish.

In the almost 40 years since hitting cinemas, The Black Cauldron has earned something of a reputation as Disney's blackest sheep a movie so embarrassing the company would rather pretend it doesn't exist at all. Indeed, the Disney theme parks only feature a handful of off-hand references to The Black Cauldron. Tourists will not spot the characters signing autographs in Fantasyland. Disney television networks that helped other flop movies of the same period Tron,...

Paul Mazursky's 1986 comedy "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" is a sharp indictment of ultra-moneyed yuppie culture, which was running rampant during the Reagan administration. Culturally speaking, the mid 1980s saw a redoubled effort to enrich the already-wealthy and encourage rich people to become obsessed with conspicuous consumption. Many, many films and TV shows about Beverly Hills were released at this time, delving deep into the cockroach nest where America's wealthy classes gathered and cannibalized each other.

Prominent among these was Mazursky's film about a rich family, the Whitemans, that recently became wealthy thanks to a wire hanger manufacturing empire. The family are all empty and unhappy. Matriarch Barbara (Bette Midler) is attempting to fill her emptiness with increasingly strange renditions of New Age spirituality, while patriarch Dave (Richard Dreyfuss) is filling his own emptiness by having an affair with the family's live-in maid, Carmen (Elizabeth Peña). Their child...

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 41-year-old Disney horror movie that deserves more recognition. The movie, which is based on Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel of the same name, chronicles the adventures of two young boys after a creepy and mysterious circus appears in their sleepy town. The script of the unsettling film was penned by Bradbury himself, so there is not much difference between the movie and the novel apart from the scenes that were cut out as they were deemed too scary for a Disney movie.

The movie which is often underrated and forgotten was part of Disney's dark period. The production of Something Wicked This Way Comes was fraught with behind-the-scenes drama before it was released. Bradbury and director Jack Clayton had disagreements about the screenplay, which was changed during production despite Bradbury writing it. Despite the disagreements between the movie's creators, Something Wicked This Way Comes...

The Disney Animation studio is a pioneer when it comes to delivering successful animated films. Especially the decade from 1989 to 1999 was dubbed as Disney Renaissance, due to the release of several record breaking movies.

A still from The Little Mermaid (1989) | Credits: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

The Little Mermaid (1989) was a phenomenal success and later movies only strengthened Disney’s winning streak. Some initially didn’t have faith in the female-led big-budget film, like the then-Disney President, Jeffrey Katzenberg. Not only did the film create a lasting impression, but it also went on to inspire a 2023 live-action adaptation centered around controversy.

The movie which changed the animation world

The massive financial failure of The Black Cauldron (1985), an adaptation of Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series, forced Disney to re-evaluate. They had to produce a project which could reinstall people’s faith in the animation studio.

RELATEDAfter The Little Mermaid and Moana, Disney...

Peter Renaday, a longtime and prolific voice actor best known as the voice of rat sensei Master Splinter in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series, died Sunday, September 8, at his home in Burbank, California. He was 89.

News of his death was shared on social media by friend and Turtles costar Townsend Coleman, who voiced the character of Michaelangelo on the immensely popular generational touchstone animated series of the 1980s-’90s.

A cause of death has not been determined, but TMZ cites law enforcement sources as having discovered an unresponsive Renaday during a welfare check at his home on Sunday. Natural causes are suspected.

“Pete was one of the most genuine, salt of the earth people I have ever known and I will miss him dearly,” Coleman wrote on social media (see the post below). “I had the privilege of visiting with him a month ago and he was as vibrant as ever,...

Voice actor Peter Renaday, known to fans worldwide for his role as the original voice of Master Splinter in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, has died. He was 89 years old.

Per TMZ, law enforcement officials discovered Renaday at his Burbank, California home while carrying out a welfare check on Sunday. He was found deceased when police arrived, and it's believed that his death was from natural causes. Renaday's niece, Mindy Zachary, said that her uncle's air conditioning had been out recently, and temperatures inside his home had reached the 90s. It's unclear if the heat directly contributed to Renaday's death, but the family reportedly doesn't feel that any further investigation is necessary.

As an actor, Renaday was best known for providing the voice of Master Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the widely celebrated animated series that helped launch a massive franchise that remains ongoing. Renaday voiced Splinter...

Next month will be the start of spooky season and with it comes Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween! You can start planning what films and shows you want to watch as the schedule is now available! It includes perennial classics like the “Halloweentown” films, “Beetlejuice,” “Hocus Pocus,” “Hocus Pocus 2,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and more.

31 Nights of Halloween Schedule:

Week 1 – 31 Nights of Halloween

Tuesday, Oct. 1

1:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Halloweentown”

3:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)

5:05 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”

6:45 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Beetlejuice”

8:50 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Hocus Pocus”

Wednesday, Oct. 2

1:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Arachnophobia” – Freeform Premiere

3:30 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Beetlejuice”

5:35 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Casper” (1995)

8:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”

Thursday, Oct. 3

11:00 a.m. Edt/Pdt – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”

1:55 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Casper” (1995)

4:20 p.

The Black Cauldron is arguably one of the most divisive animated Disney movies, a film released in 1985 that almost bankrupted the animation department of the studio. Yet, while critics were harsh at the time of the film's release, The Black Cauldron has since gained a large cult following. Based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series, this movie was the first Disney animated movie to receive a PG rating. The film deals with darker themes of death and violence that no other Disney animated movie had done at the time, giving The Black Cauldron the title of one of Disney's darkest animated movies.

The villain in The Black Cauldron is also one of Disney's best and darkest villains. The Horned King is the main antagonist in The Black Cauldron, who is looking for the titular cauldron to create an invincible army of the undead. The Black Cauldron follows Taran as...

The Halloween season is officially upon us, and Freeform kicks off the celebration this afternoon with the full schedule for this year’s “31 Nights of Halloween” extravaganza!

Freeform will be showing fright flicks from October 1 – October 31, and this year’s schedule includes fan favorite classics such as Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as new arrivals including Hocus Pocus 2 and the Disney+ “Goosebumps” series.

Another film making its world television premiere? Last year’s Haunted Mansion from Disney.

Here’s the full schedule for Freeform’s “31 Nights of Halloween” 2024…

Tuesday, Oct. 1

1:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Halloweentown”

3:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)

5:05 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”

6:45 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Beetlejuice”

8:50 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Hocus Pocus”

Wednesday, Oct. 2

1:00 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Arachnophobia” – Freeform Premiere

3:30 p.m. Edt/Pdt – “Beetlejuice”

5:35 p.

Disney continues to explore its beloved IP with live-action remakes, spin-offs, and television series of their classic animated movies. Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, and Mufasa: The Lion King are among the upcoming live-action remakes with confirmed release dates. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Aristocats have also got scripts in development, but no cast yet.

There are more than a dozen upcoming Disney live-action movies in different stages of development. That's hardly surprising given how much success the recent reimaginings of their classic animated movies have seen. It seems Disney will continue to explore its beloved IP and offer up original live-action interpretations for many years to come as well as the spin-offs and television series that may come with that. Starting with 2016's live-action The Jungle Book, Disney has been steadily reworking their back catalog of animated features into new, CGI-laden live-action offerings.

In 2017, Beauty and the Beast...

Disney Lorcana will incorporate Pixar cards for the first time in 2026, along with the addition of Pocahontas. New sets in 2024 & 2025 will feature a nautical theme, the Rescue Rangers, and The Black Cauldron. Films like Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Inside Out could be perfect additions to Disney Lorcana.

Disney Lorcana has proven to be a popular collectible trading card game since its debut in 2023, and a big part of that has to do with the iconic Disney animated characters that define the game. It's easy to get people hooked on something built around a lot of popular films, and the Disney catalog has a broad enough appeal to bring in an audience that extends beyond regular Tcg aficionados. Disney Lorcana has been rolling things out gradually, however, and some of the most iconic films under the Disney umbrella haven't yet made it into the game.

Screen Rant attended D23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event,...

Quick Links Brad Bird Got His Start As an Animator at Walt Disney Studios Brad Bird Directed the Warner Bros. Box Office Flop: The Iron Giant Brad Bird Has Written and Directed Three Major Pixar Films Brad Bird was offered a job by Walt Disney Animation Studios during the Disney Dark Ages. The Iron Giant was was based on a book that Brad Bird reworked into an animated film for Warner Bros. The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007) are two of Brad Bird's biggest hits with Pixar animation studios.

Brad Bird is a well-known name among the Pixar greats. And for anyone who doesn't recognize him by name only, he's had his hand in some of Pixar's most enduring films and franchises, like The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007). But Bird didn't always have a clear direction when he was trying to break into the animation industry. He came into it during a time...

The Dark Age of American Animation For close to a century now, Disney has been synonymous with American animation at large. If you go back and watch a Disney animated feature from the 1940s or ‘50s, you’ll notice just how fluid and lushly drawn the animation itself often is and how it manages to hold up to the test of time. Even a more modest production from that period proved magnificent, like ‘Lady and the Tramp’, which was so lavishly produced that it was shot in ultra-wide CinemaScope. Contrast the Disney output of this period, basically up to the time of Walt Disney’s death in 1966, with the animated Disney ventures that came afterward. While movies like ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘The Rescuers’ are not exactly bad per se, the jump from hand-drawn animation to computer animation is noticeable. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel,...

One of Tim Burton's first professional gigs after his stint at the California Institute of Arts was working as an animator, storyboard artist, and graphic designer at Disney. Burton was born and raised in Burbank, California, which is where Disney's offices are located, so he more or less grew up in the company's shadow. He worked at the Mouse House for a few years in the early '80s, working on films like "The Fox and the Hound," "Tron," and "The Black Cauldron." It should be noted that this was a notoriously bad time for Disney, and the financial failure of the ultra-ambitious and very expensive "Cauldron" (it cost $44 million) led to an open conversation about Disney shutting down its animation department. 

Of course, while Disney was floundering financially, they were freer to experiment artistically. I maintain that Disney's most interesting movies came at a time when their kiddie-flick successes didn't define them.

With breakout hits like “Big City Greens,” “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” and “Phineas and Ferb,” Disney Television Animation has been setting the gold standard in kids’ animation for

40 years.

Dtva was formed on the heels of challenging outcomes with features “The Fox and the Hound” and “The Black Cauldron.” Initially, Dtva was restricted from using established Disney legacy characters, but nevertheless had huge successes with new shows like “The Wuzzles” and “Adventures of the Gummi Bears,” both of which became popular in syndication.

As time went on, Dtva was able to use its limited rights to create shows like “DuckTales” and “Tale Spin,” which featured Disney characters. Today, the slate has evolved to include shows that travel across Disney’s streaming, linear and digital platforms, including Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Xd, Disney Junior and Disney Channel YouTube. Short-form programs like “Chibi Tiny Tales,” which re-creates a selection of...

The Chronicles of Prydain is an overlooked children's fantasy series with critical acclaim worth exploring for both children and adults. Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb promotes realism in exploring themes of gender equality, political turmoil, and slavery. The Riddle-Master Trilogy offers an underrated saga focused on riddles and shapeshifting with the final novel winning major awards.

There are a lot of great fantasy book series in the world, including 10 underrated sagas that should be on every fantasy fan's radar. Not every saga can become one of the best-selling fantasy book series of all time, but there is plenty of great fantasy literature that flies under the radar. People often look for names like Martin, Tolkien, Le Guin, or Sanderson when seeking out their next fantasy series, but there is an entire world of underappreciated fantasy out there.

The best fantasy book series have to immerse the reader in a new world,...

Quick Links Disney Animation Was Struggling When The Great Mouse Detective Premiered in 1986 Despite His Later Downfall, Michael Eisner Played a Huge Part in Revamping Disney Animation The Great Mouse Detective Was One of the First Disney Films to Use Computer Animation Disney's previously struggled with animated flops like Pinocchio and Fantasia, but later recouped their expenses with subsequent successes. The 1970s and 1980s of Walt Disney Animation has come to be known as Disney's "Dark Era." The Great Mouse Detective was a major financial success compared to The Black Cauldron released the year prior.

The passing of Walt Disney in 1966 signaled a slow decline of Walt Disney Animation in the following years. While Disney Studios would continue to pump out both live-action and animated endeavors, including some well-remembered movies like Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and The Aristocats (1970), the 1980s brought a steeper decline in box office receipts. Films such as...

Disney's live-action remakes struggle to match the critical success of their animated originals due to a lack of darkness and adventurous themes. The forgotten classic, The Black Cauldron, showcases the importance of embracing darkness and horror elements in Disney movies. By focusing on remaking already popular films, Disney misses out on the opportunity to revisit older projects with unfulfilled potential.

Disney has invested heavily in converting its best-loved animated movies to live-action, yet one of the studio's forgotten classics proves how the studio has been getting the process wrong. While live-action remakes have been a staple of Disney's output since the 90s, they have taken center stage over the past decade. But while almost all the remakes since 2015 have used iconic and celebrated Disney originals as their source material, the reaction to many of the projects has been decidedly mixed.

Original Movie Rotten Tomatoes Score

Remake Rotten Tomatoes Score

Cinderella...

The Disney Renaissance films are defined by critical acclaim, original music, and beautiful hand-drawn animation styles. Tarzan stands out in the Renaissance era for blending 2-D animation with 3-D backgrounds and its powerful soundtrack by Phil Collins. While some Disney Renaissance films face criticism for dated themes, all are praised for their impact on animation and storytelling.

The Disney Renaissance is widely accepted as the period between 1989 and 1999 when the studio made some of its greatest animated movies, but there is a ranking of which films are the best. Since the studio's creation by Walt Disney in 1923, the company has taken off and is now synonymous with modern animated movies across the world. Much of this is thanks to the Disney Renaissance and how much it revitalized the animation sector of the studio after several flops, including The Black Cauldron during the Disney Dark Age, 1970 - 19808.

The Disney Renaissance is defined by great critical acclaim,...

Embracing horror could open new possibilities for Disney, starting with a potentially dark remake like "The Black Cauldron." Disney's history includes scary moments that have added depth to beloved classics, paving the way for a horror film adaptation. "The Black Cauldron" offers Disney a chance to improve upon a flawed original and explore new genre boundaries in future remakes.

While most of Disney's live-action remakes have been fairly faithful adaptations of an earlier animated movie, one potential project has the opportunity to tweak the formula – staying true to the spirit of the original, while also becoming the studio's first proper horror movie. This approach would be a radical step for Disney, since it has built its brand on family-friendly entertainment. Nevertheless, it is possible for the studio to make a genuinely frightening film that also honors its history, thanks to one specific movie in its catalog.

Many of Disney's most...

Sir John Hurt's legacy is defined by a wide range of roles from demonic villains to sympathetic characters, showcasing his versatility as an actor. In iconic films like Alien and The Elephant Man, Hurt's presence and profound performances left a lasting impact on viewers and the industry. Despite his passing, John Hurt's incredible body of work continues to inspire and captivate audiences, solidifying his status as one of the greatest actors of his time.

The long list of John Hurt movies includes film classics extending all the way back to 1962 and, no matter the size of his role, Hurt always made an impact whenever he was on the screen. Sir John Hurt was an English TV and movie actor who is often regarded as one of the greatest actors of his time, along with fellow countrymen and costars Terrence Stamp, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Attenborough, Ian Holm, and other legendary contemporaries.

The late '70s were a dark time for Disney. Following the death of Walt Disney, the studio went through much experimentation (not all of which was successful), and the departure of animator Don Bluth and several other animators led to a mini-crisis at the studio. Still, this was a very interesting time for Disney, which released many movies unlike anything they'd made before or since, from the sci-fi adventure "The Black Hole" to the criminally underrated "The Black Cauldron."

Loosely based on the first two books in Lloyd Alexander's "The Chronicles of Prydain" series, the film follows a bard and a princess who try to destroy a powerful and ancient magical cauldron before the wicked Horned King uses it to rule the world. This is by far the darkest animated movie Disney has made, one that starts with an explanation that the Black Cauldron's power comes from an...

With the bright, jolly, and child-friendly image that Disney has crafted for itself, it’s easy to think that the network has always been like this. However, there was a time when Disney was experimenting with darker themes and stories. It was a time when the studio released creepy movies like Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Black Cauldron, which subverted expectations most people had with a typical Disney movie. Tim Burton had just begun his collaborations with Disney, and though he was yet to produce any of his original work, his potential was clear to the studio executives. So, in 1984, he finally got a chance to bring his vision to life with two short films — Vincent and Hansel and Gretel. The former received its share of praise and even popped up in various film festivals. Hansel and Gretel, however, was so surreal, creepy, and undeniably Burtonesque that it...

Disney announced today that it was shuttering its Disney Movie Club, a Columbia House-like service that provided exclusive titles on Blu-ray and DVD and heavily discounted catalog titles.

“We’ve enjoyed serving you for the last 23 years, but consumer behavior and viewing preferences continue to evolve so we have made the tough decision to close Disney Movie Club,” the official statement read. While Disney gives the closing date of July 20, patrons’ last day to order anything is May 20.

Launched in 2001, the Disney Movie Club was, ostensibly, a subscription-style service for those who wanted the latest and greatest in Disney physical home video. Every month you’d get sent the latest home video release, usually festooned with extras like lithographs or collectible pins.

But the Disney Movie Club served an essential, often overlooked secondary function, which was that they released hard-to-get and often forgotten films on physical media exclusively through the site.

Steven Spielberg requested some scenes from Don Bluth's The Land Before Time be removal for being too scary for children. Many classic children's movies, including Disney's The Black Cauldron and Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, have included dark and scary elements to balance out the fun. Don Bluth believes that a good children's story should have a good villain and a scare moment.

Don Bluth is an icon in the world of animated feature films of the 1980s and beyond. From The Secret of Nimh and An American Tail to Anastasia and Titan Ae, the filmmaker and animator has been instrumental in Hollywood across his career – even if that sometimes meant him going against the grain. One of those occasions led to Steven Spielberg stepping in to remove some scenes from the classic movie The Land Before Time, which were subsequently destroyed for being “too scary for children.

Key Takeaways: Tim Burton has a distinct style and tone that are key to his works, making each of his films feel unique. Not all of Tim Burton's Disney films have been hits, as some vary in quality from bad to good on a scale. The Nightmare Before Christmas, produced by Tim Burton, is ironically his best collaboration with Disney and has become a Christmas staple and classic film.

Throughout the decades of his collaborations with Disney, Tim Burton has directed and produced 10 movies, and here are all of them ranked worst to best. Tim Burton's filmography has ranged a variety of studios and genres, with each of his films feeling distinct all while maintaining the signature design and tone that are key to Burton's works. Tim Burton has worked on some legendary projects with Disney, which is why he has rightfully earned the legacy he currently has. However,...