10 Surprisingly Dark Children's Movies From The 80s

Released in 1985, The Black Cauldron was the most expensive animated movie ever produced – costing over $40,000 million to produce – but was a tremendous commercial disappointment for Walt Disney, singlehandedly jeopardising the financial stability of their entire animations department. Interesting, it was also the first animated movie produced by Disney to receive a PG rating – a possible explanation for its commercial failure.

Based on the novel by Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron was an immensely ambitious film, praised for its technical innovations, yet criticised for its characters, lack of humour and absence of personality. In the film, a young pig-keeper is tasked with overthrowing a powerful, horned king intent on conquering the world.

Aided by friends, the pig-keeper must uncover and destroy a magical cauldron before it can be harnessed as a weapon for nefarious ends.

Surprisingly dark, the film is a genuine anomaly, a gothic adventure with a sinister tone, positively packed with castles, dungeons, skeletons and sorcery, but with the silliness one would expect from an animated Disney movie. As a result, the film comes across as two completely separate films, one of which might be inappropriate for small children.