Missed Opportunities

As a kid, I was a huge fan of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. I read through the five books voraciously. Several times.

I vaguely recall seeing Disney's take on it - The Black Cauldron - in theaters, though I have no clear memory of any thoughts on it.

Recently I grabbed a DVD copy of the film. I like Disney flix (it's a guilty pleasure), mainly for the animation. And The Black Cauldron is unique in that it's animated but has no singing in it. Indeed, it's PG-13 and more than a little fucked up.

Dallben is a barely-present, stock character while Coll and Prince Gwydion are absent altogether. Taran and Eillonwy are fine enough, but Fllewdur is too-old and Gurgi... well, it's Disney, so I guess they had to go there.

Having watched the DVDs, I opted to re-read the series and I find myself saddened at the missed opportunities Disney had.

The first book, "The Book of Three", had all the classics a Disney flick would ever need. A young hero, a princess who could hold her own (I guess that's a bit progressive for Disney), a hero-prince (largely off-screen), a sidekick (Gurgi), magic, an evil sorceress, and the Horned King as a constant vague threat who really only appears at the end.

Add in some cutesy songs and tweak the ending a bit and you have a perfect Disney formula film.

Follow-up with an offering of "The Black Cauldron" that is a bit truer to the original (also with the songs and what-not) and you have a solid tale with most of the same cast of characters. For Disney sensibilities, I expect the end would require some serious tweaks, but they can't be as savage as the original film managed.

"The Castle of Llyr" gets a bit dicey. I'm not sure that would make the Disney transition well and "Taran Wanderer" is far too introspective for Disney fare, but such is life. "The High King" could work, with a bit of care. I imagine it delivered much like the Rankin/Bass versions of "The Hobbit" and "The Return of the King" back in... oh god, I'm dating myself.

Meh. Probably best Disney just leave this franchise alone.