Summary

• 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. Yet the studio can make a genuinely frightening film that also honors its history, thanks to one specific movie in its catalog.

Many of Disney's most successful movies incorporate scary moments to great effect. Pinocchio, for instance, is an early example of the animated team blending fairytale mythology with full-blown Lynchian body horror – typified by the ever-terrifying donkey transformation sequence. However, despite these dark moments, Disney is yet to commit to a fully-fledged horror film – for the understandable reason that it is difficult to make such a project appeal to its traditional audience. However, without a full-blown horror movie in Disney's roster, there remains an opportunity for one underrated classic to fill the void.

The Black Cauldron Can Be A Proper Disney Horror

Perhaps the darkest of Disney's traditionally animated movies, The Black Cauldron is the perfect film to reimagine as the studio's first proper horror. Made in 1985, the movie blends a more traditional Disney quest adventure with explicitly supernatural and horrific elements. Following protagonist Taran, a day-dreamer who looks after an oracular pig, The Black Cauldron introduces the Horned King – an undead tyrant who searches for the titular cauldron in order to bring his immortal legions back from beyond the grave.

The original movie made headlines by becoming the first Disney animation to receive a PG certificate, thanks to scary scenes featuring skeletal soldiers, haunted castles, and moments of real peril. As a live-action, it's easy to see how the original story could become even scarier, with computer-generated effects pushing the movie toward PG-13 territory. Because of the source material, it's likely any Black Cauldron remake would still include aspects of the original quest. Nevertheless, the rest of the narrative is so dark that a live-action adaptation would easily be able to emphasize the horror at the heart of the story.

Remaking The Black Cauldron Is A Great Opportunity

A potential Black Cauldron remake would work on two fronts. From Disney's perspective, it would be a real opportunity for the studio to re-embrace the darkness that made most of its early films so appealing. Even though the studio is understandably associated with child-friendly storytelling, its greatest movies have always included legitimately horrifying scenes. Snow White, Dumbo, and Fantasia all achieved classic status because of the darkness they contain – not despite it. Fully committing to horror with a re-imagined Black Cauldron is a great way for Disney to rediscover this trait.

A second consideration is that The Black Cauldron itself was a disaster on release. Although subsequent reaction has been more generous, the movie flopped at the box office – making just $21.3 million against a $44 million budget. However, since its release, the film has developed a cult following, proving that there was always potential in its uniquely dark storytelling. A live-action horror remake can, therefore, improve upon the flawed original, simultaneously correcting old mistakes and helping Disney push genre boundaries like never before.

The Black Cauldron Would Fix A Disney Remake Problem

Because The Black Cauldron is so flawed and proved to be such a problem for Disney in 1985, the movie actually represents the best way for the studio to approach its remakes moving forward. Thus far, Disney's live-action adaptations have focused on revisiting beloved classics. While some, like The Lion King, have been commercial success stories, none of the movies have matched the critical adulation enjoyed by the originals, with some arguably damaging their existing reputation.

Although it makes sense commercially, remaking some of the greatest movies of all time is always going to be a challenge for Disney. An alternative approach, therefore, is for the studio to instead focus on films that had great concepts but ultimately failed on release. The Black Cauldron is a prime example of a movie that had great potential – being based on a popular book series and containing some of the boldest ideas in any Disney movie – yet failed to come together in its first iteration. Even though it might seem like a risk, The Black Cauldron could be the first example of Disney revisiting weaker movies instead of old hits.