"Ghostbusters 35th" Leads to New Film in 2020

Sony Pictures Launches Ghostbusters™ 35th Anniversary Celebration
Year-Long Celebration of the Iconic Franchise Extends Across the Consumer Products and Entertainment Spectrums and Culminates with the 2020 Release of the Newest Installment in the Film Series

CULVER CITY – To coincide with the 35th anniversary of Ghostbusters, first released in U.S. theaters on June 8, 1984, Sony Pictures is launching “Ghostbusters 35th,” a year-long celebration of the iconic multi-media franchise, it was announced today by Jeffrey Godsick, EVP of Brand Strategy and Global Partnerships for Sony Pictures. The event represents a collaboration between several Sony Corporation divisions and will lead up to the newest installment in the film series to be released in theaters in 2020.

“Ghostbusters 35th” activations extend across the consumer products and entertainment spectrums and include toys, collectibles, fashion and apparel, theatrical, live events, music, gaming, home entertainment and publishing. Exciting new events and activations will be announced in the coming months.

“Ghostbusters has been entertaining and delighting audiences of all ages for the past 35 years, and this milestone provides the perfect opportunity for a celebration of the franchise and the impact it’s had on popular culture,” said Godsick. “The level of interest from our divisions within Sony Corporation as well as our external partners is a testament to the enduring power of the Ghostbusters brand. Together we’ve curated a year-long event that has something for everyone, from long-time fans to those new to the Ghostbusters universe.”,

“It’s been truly gratifying that what we created 35 years ago has continued to entertain and resonate with two generations of audiences,” said Ivan Reitman, producer and director of Ghostbusters and 1989’s Ghostbusters II. “This is a momentous occasion, and we’ve had a great time collaborating with our friends at Sony to put together this unique year-long celebration of all things Ghostbusters.”

The first announcement of “Ghostbusters 35th” event activations includes:

All-New “Ghostbusters 35th” Consumer Products – Wide-ranging line of first-ever 35th anniversary celebratory products that includes toys, collectibles, halo fashion, apparel and gaming. Licensees include PLAYMOBIL®, K-Swiss/Footlocker, Funko, BATHING APE®, PopMinded by Hallmark and Bixler Jewelry.

Ghostbusters/Transformers Collaboration – The two beloved franchises (both celebrating 35th anniversaries in 2019) will unite for cross-over toys, a comic book series and Mad Engine apparel. Hasbro will release the Transformers-Ghostbusters Collaborative figure, the ECTO-1 ECTOTRON, available at GameStop this summer and currently for pre-order at HasbroPulse.com, GameStop and EB Games Canada.

The five-issue comic series, “Transformers / Ghostbusters,” will debut this month and is written and illustrated by the long-time fan-favorite Ghostbusters creative team of Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado and published by IDW Comics.

First-Ever Ghostbusters Fan Fest – Presented by Wizard World, this once-in-a-lifetime event on June 8, 2019 at the Sony Pictures Studio Lot in Culver City, CA is a celebration of the Ghostbusters universe that will feature opportunities for fans to meet and hear from the original cast and filmmakers, including director/producer Ivan Reitman, actor/screenwriter Dan Aykroyd and actor Ernie Hudson. In addition, writer/director Jason Reitman will share early details about the newest film in the Ghostbusters series to be released in 2020. Attendees will also have access to exclusive programming and attractions, limited edition merchandise, collectibles and more.

Limited Edition Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Sony WALKMAN – Ghostbusters and Sony WALKMAN, two iconic brands that first came to prominence in the 1980s and have each made a huge impact on popular culture, join together for the Limited Edition Ghostbusters 35th anniversary-themed WALKMAN. Designed by Sony Home Entertainment & Sound Products, Inc., this WALKMAN will make its debut at the Ghostbusters Fan Fest in Culver City on June 8, 2019, where it’ll be awarded to the first two fans who purchase the KSwiss limited Ghostbusters shoes. Only 100 units have been created which will be used for promotional events and prizing.

Global Ghostbusters in Concert Live Orchestra Tour – Ongoing tour that will visit over 40 cities worldwide and features a screening of Ghostbusters accompanied by local symphony orchestras performing live Elmer Bernstein’s Grammy-nominated score and Ray Parker Jr.’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping theme song, “Ghostbusters.”

Ghostbusters Theatrical Re-Release – In partnership with Fathom Events, Sony Pictures will re-release the original 1984 Ghostbusters in theaters nationwide on October 6 & 10, 2019.

Ghostbusters Original Motion Picture Score 35th Anniversary Edition – Sony Music special 35th anniversary edition of the original motion picture score with music by legendary composer Elmer Bernstein. Available June 7, 2019 on CD and digital formats (standard and hi-resolution) and on vinyl July 19, 2019. The collection features music from the iconic blockbuster, newly mixed and remastered from the score’s original multi-tracks, as well as new artwork, commentary from Elmer Bernstein’s son, Peter, and four previously unreleased tracks.

Ghostbusters I & II Limited Edition Home Entertainment Release – On June 11, 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II in a special limited-edition 4K Ultra HD SteelBook with hours of rare and new bonus material. The set includes both films on 4K UHD and on Blu-ray, plus a bonus disc of new extras, including deleted scenes, interviews, outtakes and much more. The films were fully restored from the original camera negatives and are presented on 4K UHD with HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered – Saber Interactive HD re-release of the acclaimed action-adventure game featuring the original cast of the classic films and a unique storyline co-written by Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II screenwriters Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis; to launch later this year on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.


About Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.

About Ghost Corps: Ghost Corps, Inc., a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., is focused on expanding the Ghostbusters brand with live-action feature films, animated motion pictures, television, merchandise, and other new entertainment products. Ghost Corps is headquartered on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, Calif.

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Review: "Ghostbusters" Still in High Spirits

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 160 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Ghost Busters (1984)
Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)
MPAA – PG
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Ivan Reitman
WRITERS: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Laszlo Kovacs (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: David Blewitt and Sheldon Kahn
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein
Academy Award nominee

COMEDY/SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson, Reggie Vel Johnson and Frances E. Nealy with (cameos) Larry King, Joe Franklin, Casey Kasem

The subject of this review is Ghostbusters (originally titles Ghost Busters), 1984 supernatural comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. The film starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, and Harold Ramis and was written by Aykroyd and Ramis, apparently with some contributions from costar, Rick Moranis.

Doctors Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) are three unemployed parapsychology professors who set up a ghost, spirit, and spectre removal service called Ghost Busters. They successfully chase haunts and poltergeists, and they eventually earn so much cash and business that they have to hire a man off the street, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), to become the fourth Ghost Buster agent. Things are going well, until Venkman has his eye on Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), a musician who comes to the Ghost Busters with a problem. Her refrigerator has a demon in it, and that’s the first sign of the apocalyptic arrival of a Sumerian god bent on destroying the world.

Months after it was released in 1984, Ghost Busters became the highest-grossing comedy film ever made. It was and is a well written comedy with well-developed elements of fantasy, but most of all the fine cast of comic actors served Ghost Busters quite well. The best of the lot is Bill Murray, whose dry wit and sarcasm, as well as his deadpan delivery, made audiences willing to suspend their disbelief for this film. Somehow, Ghost Busters comic tone blended very well with the film’s low rent sci-fi and horror elements. The comedy worked, and the ghosts were so light and airy that it was hard to take them seriously, but at the same time not quite possible to dismiss them.

Actually, all the filmmakers were pretty sharp in their efforts. Ghost Busters was merely another example of director Ivan Reitman’s deft touch as a director of comic films, and the film’s writers, Ramis, Aykroyd, and Moranis (not given screen credit) are all funny guys who came up with a novel story. Together their film has stood the test of time, and there’s very little to criticize about it, though the film is a tad bit long and the final showdown is kind of loopy. This is a great screen comedy that I’d heartily recommend.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1985 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Richard Edlund, John Bruno, Mark Vargo, and Chuck Gaspar) and “Best Music, Original Song” (Ray Parker Jr. for the song "Ghostbusters")

1985 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Original Song” (Ray Parker Jr. for the song "Ghostbusters"); 1 nomination: “Best Special Visual Effects” (Richard Edlund)

1985 Golden Globes, USA: 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical,” “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Ray Parker Jr. for the song "Ghostbusters"), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical” (Bill Murray)

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Review: "Heavy Metal" Still a Fantastic Movie (30 Years Later - 1981)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Heavy Metal (1981)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
Running time: 86 minutes (1 hour 26 minutes)
Rating:  MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Gerald Potterton
WRITERS: Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum, from stories by Dan O’Bannon, Richard Corben, Juan Gimenez, Angus McKie, Thomas Warkentin, and Berni Wrightson
PRODUCER: Ivan Reitman
EDITORS: Janice Brown, Ian Llande, Mick Manning, and Gerald Tripp
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein

ANIMATION/SCI-FI with elements of action and horror

Starring: (voices) John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, and Percy Rodrigues

Originally released in 1981, Heavy Metal is an animated science fiction film named after a magazine of the same title. It is an anthology film made of several animated short films, with each short film connected to the others by an overall storyline. That storyline involves the quest for a mysterious, powerful object.

Some of the animated short films in Heavy Metal were adapted from science fiction, fantasy, and horror comics that appeared in Heavy Metal magazine in the 1970s. A few of the other animated short films appearing in this movie were original stories done in the spirit of the kind of comics found in Heavy Metal (which is still published today).

Heavy Metal the movie begins with an astronaut returning home to his young daughter. He shows her something he brought back, a glowing, green crystalline ball, which kills him as soon as he removes it from a carry case. Calling itself “the sum of all evils,” the green orb begins to tell the terrified daughter a series of stories about how it has influenced people and societies throughout time and space.

The audience learns that the green orb is called the Loc-Nar and also watches as people try to control it or as it controls people. A sweeping story of the battle of good against evil is told through this anthology that follows several characters over 8 short films. These include Harry Canyon, a cabbie in futuristic New York City. There is Dan, a nerdy teenager. The Loc-Nar transforms Dan into Den, a muscular barbarian (with a huge “dork”), and transports him to the world of Neverwhere. The final short film focuses on Taarna, a beautiful warrior woman who takes on a band of vicious, murderous men and monsters created by the Loc-Nar.

As an animated film, Heavy Metal is a wonder. Sure, the character animation in a few of the short films is awkward, but it is quite good in others, like the Taarna story. Heavy Metal’s designers and animators grabbed the art and graphics from Heavy Metal magazine and brought them to motion picture life with vivid, stirring animation. I cannot call Heavy Metal great, but this visually striking animated film is one-of-a-kind and an absolute delight to watch – especially if you are a comic book or science fiction fan.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, April 08, 2011

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Review: "An American Werewolf in London" Will Howl Forever (Happy B'day, Rick Baker)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 85 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Running time: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – R
WRITER/DIRECTOR: John Landis
PRODUCER: George Folsey Jr.
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Paynter
EDITOR: Malcolm Campbell
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein

HORROR with some elements of comedy and romance

Starring: David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine, Anne-Marie Davies, and Frank Oz

I remember when my late father had to actually go to the ticket window and physically purchase a ticket for me to see John Landis’s comedy/horror classic, An American Werewolf in London, because it was an R-rated movie. At the time, the local sheriff was forcing the theatre I frequented to abide by the MPAA ratings system. In the early 80’s, there were so many (fairly) hardcore teen-oriented films with strong sexual and violent themes, but I’m sure it was the sex that was bothering any influential locals who might have protested to the sheriff. I think the area was just starting to understand that the less attractive aspects of the sexual revolution were coming to visit us.

However, the “inconvenience” to my father was worth it, at least to me. An American Werewolf in London truly is a great horror film. I recently watched the movie in its entirety for the first time in over 20 years, and I still liked it as much as I did the first time. Even the special makeup effects by SFX maestro Rick Baker (who won an Oscar for his groundbreaking work here) for the first werewolf transformation that we see is as stunning, shocking, hilarious, frightening, and quite intense as it was when it first wowed audiences.

In the film two American college students, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne), on a walking tour of England are attacked by a werewolf (Paddy Ryan) near a small rural village on the moors. David survives the attack, which the superstitious town folks hastily cover up. While recovering in a London hospital, David falls for his nurse, Alex Price (Jenny Agutter), and she takes him how so they can bop each other’s brains out. However, David receives a gruesome surprise when Jack returns as an undead apparition that only David can see. According to Jack, David carries a curse, and during the next full moon, he will transform into a werewolf and kill more people. Only David’s death will end the curse, free Jack’s soul, and save others from a brutal death in the jaws of the lycanthrope.

From Animal House to Blue Brothers, writer/director John Landis showed his gift for sheer lunacy, which he combined with a rich sense of humor. Granted that American Werewolf’s has some story holes (didn’t the neighbors hear all the racket David made the night he transforms and how did he leave Alex’s apartment after he transformed?), but the movie is such fun. It’s creepy, but not in a dreadful sort of way. It’s inventive, especially in the dream sequences and scenes where Jack and other undead visit David. It’s spectacular in Rick Baker’s surreal and near supernatural display of make up wizardry. Werewolf is hilarious and goofy; it has a B-movie spirit of winks and nudges with just enough gore to place it firmly in the pantheon of “serious” horror films.

I liked the acting because all the actors played their parts with such aplomb. Although I really liked David Naughton’s frantic portrayal of the doomed David, I also liked Griffin Dunne’s turn as the sarcastic and deadpan Jack. What more do I need to say? If you like horror movies, especially the one’s in which the comedy is intentional, and a good old-fashioned thriller, An American Werewolf in London is the film for you. It stood out amongst the flood of crass slasher films of its time, and it has a special quality that would make it stand out today. And I love Rick Baker even more!

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
1982 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Makeup” (Rick Baker)

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Review: "Far From Heaven" is Heavenly (Happy B'day, Julianne Moore)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 80 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Far From Heaven (2002)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content, brief violence and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
PRODUCERS: Jody Patton and Christine Vachon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Edward Lachman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: James Lyons
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein

DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson, Viola Davis, James Rebhorn, Ryan Ward, Lindsay Andretta, Jordan Puryear, and Celia Weston

Last year (2002), a number of people thought that mean old Halle Berry had stolen her Best Actress Oscar for Monster’s Ball from Nicole Kidman for Kidman’s performance in the overblown and somewhat empty Moulin Rouge!. This year, Nicole finally received an Oscar for her performance in the tepid and mediocre The Hours, but she may have been the thief this time. Julianne Moore gives a rich and lush performance as a 1950’s era housewife facing a philandering husband and the era’s strict racial and social mores in Todd Haynes’s Far From Heaven, a film that may have touched too close to home for many in Hollywood's hypocritical, closed, and bigoted community.

Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) is the dream housewife living the dream version of the American dream. Her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), has a hot advertising executive job, and together, they have a huge two-story home and two adorable children. They fill their lives with the latest consumer goods, and they throw fancy, catered affairs for their ritzy, upper middle class friends. However, Frank has a skeleton in the closet with him; he’s gay, and he is having an increasingly difficult time suppressing his need to press male flesh. As her marital crisis worsens, Cathy turns to her gardener, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert), a strapping hunk of black manhood, for comfort. That relationship doesn’t sit well with cracker and spearchunker alike, and racial tensions, which had been on the down low, simmer and threaten to boil over.

Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) made Far From Heaven a kind of homage to the slick melodramatic films of the 1950’s, in particular the work of director Douglas Sirk. Sirk’s work was ignored for years after his heyday, but he always had a cult following. In the last few decades, many have given his films a more critical and careful review, especially his infamous color remake of the old black and white film, Imitation of Life. Far From Heaven apparently borrows liberally from Sirk’s film, All That Heaven Allows, in which a socialite also falls for her gardener.

Heaven magnificently captures the amazingly rich and colorful look of Technicolor films. It’s like watching a movie from another era, from the impressionistic palette of the photography and the opulent art direction to the lavish costumes and Elmer Bernstein’s fabulous score. It is hard to believe that someone could capture the lost look of the Fifties melodrama, but Haynes ably puts it together.

Haynes’s really impressed me with his script. While he manages to capture the social and personal heat that filmmakers hid under the surface of their films in the 50’s, he also writes a story that revels in and openly mocks the hypocrisy of the supposedly enlightened America of that time. By the 1950’s, the United Stated considered itself the greatest nation on the face of the earth, a land awash in freedom and opportunity, when in reality, freedom and opportunity were simply catch phrases for the powerful sold to the powerless.

Although the film is set in the 1950’s and portrays 50’s era prejudices, the film is perfect for this time, as well as a clear reflection of a past time. Watching Frank Whitaker struggle with his sexuality and watching Cathy and Raymond be persecuted for their friendship, you can’t help but realize that things have not changed. Homosexuality is still taboo today, and many well-known political and public figures still refer to homosexuality as the most heinous sin of all. Interracial friendships of any kind are still call attention to themselves and still cause many people to frown. Today, we give the alleged acceptance of the gay lifestyle and color-blind friendships lip service. However, modern American society is still almost as stuck in the mud as the one portrayed in Heaven.

As good as Haynes and his technical cohorts are in recreating a film that looks like it came from an movie era almost half a century gone, the people who make Far From Heaven more than just a grand technical achievement are the actors. Ms. Moore makes Cathy a charming character, a generous woman with an open heart and a good spirit. She easily rides the good times, but she makes it through the tough; she has to, as we know by the title, that all doesn’t end so very chipper. I was amazed by her performance. She made Cathy’s happiness and satisfaction with her life not just a façade, but the real thing.

So often, middle class housewives are played as secretly unhappy, but Cathy is quiet content; in fact, she adores her life, and she does her best to stay happy even when she encounters difficulty. I’m sure many would consider it politically incorrect to portray a housewife as a strong heroine, fighting to save her marriage, family, and lifestyle Julianne Moore makes you believe; she makes you root for Cathy. She even drew me into the character, so that I felt like I was experiencing every joy, every pain, and every slight that Cathy experienced. What more can one ask of a performer other than that she make you believe and feel?

A lot of people always knew that Dennis Quaid was a very good actor; somehow, a fair assessment of his talent kept getting lost because of his good looks and tomcatting lifestyle. It takes a movie like this and The Rookie to show us what an underrated talent he is. Quaid makes Frank both pathetic and sympathetic – quite complex. He doesn’t allow the viewer to always make an easy assessment of Frank. He’s just a man in a complicated situation fighting his own complications within himself.

Next to Cathy, the best character in this film is Raymond the gardener. He’s a noble Negro full of wisdom, and, at first, that might seem so typical – quiet suffering black man, so strong in the face of silly racism. However, that stereotype is a deliberate creation of Haynes, and Haysbert pulls it off with disarming charm and the knack of a skilled movie thespian. In the kind of film Haynes recreates, Raymond would have been noble, like the God-loving housekeeper in Imitation of Life. Here, the point isn’t his nobility; Raymond simply has to be strong, like Cathy, to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous hypocrites. Somehow, the proper acclaim for Haysbert in this role was nonexistent.

Do you realize that of all the post-season film awards, only the Golden Satellite Awards (as of this writing) recognized Haysbert’s performance with even a nomination (which he also won)? What up? Were (dumb) white critics and voters just too color struck (and dense) to notice the subtlety of both character and performance in Raymond’s case? Or do they feel that awards for Halle and Denzel pretty much take care of awarding darkies for film roles for another decade or so?

Give Far From Heaven a viewing. Not only is it relevant, but it’s quite entertaining with beautiful performances; Julianne Moore’s alone is worth a look. It’s also one of the best films about the culture of class and racial hypocrisy that you’ll ever see.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2003 Academy Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Julianne Moore). “Best Cinematography” (Edward Lachman), “Best Music, Original Score” (Elmer Bernstein), “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Todd Haynes)

2003 Black Reel Awards: 1 win: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor” (Dennis Haysbert)

2003 Golden Globes: 4 nominations: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Elmer Bernstein), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Dennis Quaid), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Julianne Moore), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Todd Haynes)

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Review: Walt Disney's "The Black Cauldron" Has a Good Side

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 79 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Black Cauldron (1985)
Running time: 80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some scary images
DIRECTORS: Ted Berman and Richard Rich
WRITERS: David Jonas, Vance Gerry, Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Al Wilson, Roy Morita, Peter Young, Art Stevens, and Joe Hale (based upon the novel series The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander)
PRODUCER: Joe Hale
EDITOR: Armetta Jackson, Jim Koford, and James Melton
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein

ANIMATION/FANTASY

Starring: (voices) Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, Arthur Malet, John Byner, John Hurt, and John Huston

Considered a box office failure and a critical disappointment, The Black Cauldron, released in 1985, was Walt Disney’s 25th full-length animated feature film. The film is a loose adaptation of The Chronicles of Prydain, a five-book children’s fantasy series from author Lloyd Alexander, specifically the first two books, The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron.

The film takes place in the land of Prydain and focuses on a young man named Taran (Grant Bardsley), the Assistant Pigkeeper to the enchanter, Dallben (Freddie Jones). Dallben has charged Taran with the task caring for and protecting Hen Wen, a magical oracular pig (meaning she can see into the future). Hen Wen’s powers will allow her to see the location of the mystical Black Cauldron, which has the power to raise the dead.

The evil lord known as the Horned King (John Hurt) desires to use the cauldron to create an invincible legion of undead warriors that will help him conquer the world. When he loses Hen Wen, Taran must battle the Horned King, who will stop at nothing to attain Hen Wen, his key to the cauldron’s whereabouts. Luckily, Taran gathers new friends who come to his aid, including the imprisoned Princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan); the elderly bard, Fflewddur Fflam (Nigel Hawthorne); and a loyal, but greedy creature named Gurgi (John Byner).

In terms of quality, The Black Cauldron would certainly rank at or near the bottom of the list of Disney’s animated theatrical films, but even something considered a Disney failure is better than animated films from other studios. The characters and the story are the problems with this film. The characters are not fully developed, and the script doesn’t reveal much about them except for the barest minimum needed to make the story move forward. The story does not have much drama, and the conflict seems feigned. There is not much suspense and tension before the end of the film and the final conflict.

Where the film really works is in the visuals. The Black Cauldron was the first Disney animated feature to use computer-generated imagery (CGI), but the star is the beautifully drawn, colored, painted, and illustrated world Disney’s artists created for this film. The backgrounds, sets, and environments are some of the most beautiful fantasy art created for film. A lovely pastoral cottage farm, verdant forests, a barren wasteland, an ominous castle, cavernous dungeons, the magical underworld of the Fair Folk, and the gloomy dwelling of three witches: all are presented in vivid, rich color and drawn in a sturdy manner that brings Prydain to life.

These splendid visuals make a weak fantasy story a bit stronger. The Black Cauldron may not be perfect, but its trip to Prydain is a true journey into fantasy.

6 of 10

B

Thursday, September 23, 2010

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