THE BLACK CAULDRON (Dir: Ted Berman & Richard Rich, 1985).

THE BLACK CAULDRON (Dir: Ted Berman & Richard Rich, 1985).

Walt Disney Pictures' The Black Cauldron is an ambitious animated fantasy based upon Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain, an acclaimed series of novels with a medieval setting.


With dreams of becoming a great warrior, assistant pig keeper Taran embarks on a quest to rescue his missing porcine ward, Hen Wen. The evil Horned King kidnaps the pig to use her oracular powers to secure a magical black cauldron in order to resurrect a skeletal army. Joining him are Eilonwy (Disney's forgotten princess), minstrel Fflewddur Fflam and the eternally hungry Gurgi, a furry creature of undisclosed origin. The gang must locate the cauldron and destroy it before it falls into the Horned King's hands.

The Black Cauldron had a famously troubled production and was subject to editing by a new studio regime who found it too dark for family audiences.


As might be expected from a film based on a five volume series of books, the movie suffers from an episodic, rambling narrative. The detrimental effect of editing is felt most in the sequence in which the Horned King unleashes his army of skeletal deathless warriors; it is all too brief and feels anti-climatic. The overall pacing of The Black Cauldron feels slightly off, languid at time.

However, those lucky enough to see this on original release in all its 70mm glory were treated to the most visually stunning of all Disney movies in years. The looser, sketchier art which chracterised Disney features of the 1960s and 70s is replaced by a fuller, bolder animation style, recalling the Disney product of earlier decades. The extensive use of the multi-plane camera and effects animation, particularly effective use of light and shadow, giving the film a rich texture and lavish quality.

The Black Cauldron is fresh, experimental and edgy while retaining an old-school Disney feel. Its arresting visuals alone make it worthy of far more recognition than it receives; an underrated movie from an overlooked period in Disney history and one that I believe is long overdue for reassessment.

Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Black Cauldron! Link below.

LADY AND THE TRAMP II: SCAMP’S ADVENTURE (Dir: Darrell Rooney, 2001).

46 years after Walt Disney’s original Lady and the Tramp (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske, 1955) comes this belated straight-to-video sequel.

Lady and Tramp’s only son Scamp rebels at life on a leash, runs away from home and hooks up with a gang of tough junkyard dogs. Clashing with gang leader Buster and falling for fetching young pup Angel, Scamp eventually must choose between his family or freedom.

Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation (lately DisneyToon Studios) on a much smaller budget than a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature, resulting in a markedly less polished production than that of its sister studio. The character animation is flat and cartoony, replacing the original movie’s studied realism. The backgrounds, likewise, lack the depth and detail of the first movie, while a homage to Lady and the Tramp’s famous spaghetti sequence and a train dodge scenario lifted from The Aristocats (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970) are a reminder of how superior those movies are.

Among the cast you may recognise the familiar voices of Disney’s own little mermaid Ariel Jodi Benson as Lady and Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney as Scamp’s pal Sparky. While certainly perfunctory, none of the voice actors make much of an impression. Some serviceable but forgettable songs punctuate the soundtrack, none coming close to Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke’s majestic originals. Here lies the problem with Lady and the Tramp II; it is simply weaker than the first movie in all departments.

In truth, there are worse movies than Lady and the Tramp II. There are probably even worse Disney straight-to-videos sequels. But I honestly do not understand why you would watch this film instead of the masterful original. Lady and the Tramp endures as one of Walt Disney’s greatest animated features. Sadly, this cannot be said about its sequel; a pale imitation of the original and a soulless, artless exercise in exploitation.

A review of the original Lady and the Tramp and a longer, more in-depth review of Lady and the Tramp II can be found on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.

THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN (Dir: Jeremy Kagan, 1985).

Dating from an era when Walt Disney Pictures were pursuing edgier family entertainment, The Journey of Natty Gann is a road movie drama set during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In her movie debut Meredith Salenger stars as the titular Natty. Separated from her father (Ray Wise), she travels the length of Chicago to Washington to find him, accompanied by an unusual travelling companion in the shape of a wolf. She also strikes up a friendship cum chaste romance with a young drifter (John Cusack).


Director Jeremy Kagan delivers a thoughtful, intelligent movie that’s pulls no punches in its believable and affecting account of the hardships caused by poverty and mass unemployment. It also touches, albeit lightly, on subjects such as union activism and police brutality.

The movie treats it subject matter seriously, yet the tone is never too sombre and its uplifting moments offset the gentle melancholic mood which runs through it. Certainly, it is sentimental but it is never sticky and the sentimentality never seems false, while its female lead gives it a feminist slant not usually found in family films of the era.

While the performances are uniformly excellent, the standout is undoubtedly Salenger. Age just 14 during filming, her performance is both moving and charismatic. How she did not become a massive star is anybody’s guess. John Cusack also impresses in an early role as Natty's drifter friend Harry. It is beautifully photographed by cinematographer Dick Bush, capturing the crisp Canadian wilderness (standing in for the US) and the grimy back alleys with a cinematic grace rare in 80s Hollywood.

Although The Journey of Natty Gann won admiration from critics it was not, initially, a hit with audiences. It would eventually find a more appreciative audience on the burgeoning home video market. Still, the movie seems vastly underrated today. It is among the Disney Studios’ best live action releases and one of the most artful major Hollywood releases of the 1980s.

Check out my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com for a longer, more in-depth version of this review.

FREAKY FRIDAY (Dir: Gary Nelson, 1976).

Walt Disney Productions' Freaky Friday is an early example of the 'body swap' comedy.

It tells the story of frustrated housewife Ellen Andrews (Barbara Harris) and her daughter Annabel (Jodie Foster). Following an argument on the morning of Friday the 13th the pair wish to change places, both believing the other has the more desirable life. Magically their wish is granted. Mom has to try to make it through a school day, while daughter deals with the pressures of housework. Comedy high jinks ensue.


While its concept no longer seems original, Freaky Friday is still a fairly fresh and funny movie, largely due to the excellent performances from its leads. Jodie Foster is terrific as the 35 year old mind in the body of a 13 year old, but the real revelation is Barbara Harris. Playing baseball with a team of 8 year olds, flirting with a teenage neighbour, having a meltdown over household chores; Harris perfectly captures the manic mind of 13 year old let loose in the body of a grown woman, proving herself an adept comedy actress in a fairly demanding physical role. Solid support from John Astin as bemused husband/father Bill Andrews, Sparky Marcus as Annabel’s brother ‘Ape Face’, Marc McClure as neighbourhood crush Boris and Patsy Kelly as the Andrew’s boozy housekeeper round out an appealing principle cast.


For the most part director Gary Nelson avoids the formulaic, cookie-cutter approach associated with Disney comedy movies of the era, thanks to Mary Rodger's superior script which stays close to spirit of her book. The movie occasionally veers a little too far into slapstick but most of it works and there are more big laughs than not. The mother/daughter relationship at the movies core is completely believable, through the misunderstandings to the inevitable reconciliation. The denouncement is nicely handled, not too sentimental and quite touching.

Freaky Friday is a good natured romp, with plenty of big laughs and let's be honest, who among us hasn't wondered what it would be like to switch places with Jodie Foster?

Read a longer, more in-depth version of this review on my blog: jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com

CAPTAIN MARVEL (Dir: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, 2019).

Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel in the 21st instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The initially confusing plot finds amnesia suffering Vers (Larson) crash landing in 1995 Los Angeles. Caught up in a war between alien nations the Skrulls and her own people the Kree, the Skrull are soon in pursuit of Vers. Attracting the attention of SHIELD agent Nick Fury, Fury enlists Vers in an attempt to stop an alien invasion. In the process she learns of her forgotten past, of her part in the Kree-Skrull conflict and determines to harness her superpowers and put an end to the war.

This first Marvel movie to centre on a female superhero is a welcome, some would say overdue, edition to the MCU. Co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, along with co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet have fashioned a fun and thrilling sci-fi action, which is happy to acknowledge its comic book roots. This is one of the the lighter entries in the MCU, but is none the worse for it.

Captain Marvel acts as an origins story for both Danvers and SHIELD head-honcho Nick Fury, seen here as a low-level SHIELD bureaucrat. There is a nice chemistry between Larson and Samuel L Jackson (returning as Fury) and the pair make an entertaining double act.

The star cast including Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou and Jude Law all impress in their respective roles, but the movie really belongs to Larson and the appealing sense of gutsy naivety she brings to the role.

Captain Marvel’s connection to the Avengers ‘Infinity Saga’ is fairly loose and is only really touched upon in the closing credits. As such, the movie works as a stand-alone entry, your enjoyment of which should not be hampered by not having seen the other movies.

With a much needed injection of feminism into the MCU franchise and a healthy dose of 90s nostalgia, it is an entertaining, intelligent popcorn blockbuster that bodes well for the future of the Avengers movies post-Endgame.

Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read an unedited version of this review! Link below.

WHITE FANG 2: MYTH OF THE WHITE WOLF (Dir: Ken Olin, 1994).

Walt Disney Pictures’ action/adventure sequel to their 1991 hit White Fang (Randall Kleiser).

White Fang told the story of Jack Conroy (Ethan Hawke) and his adventures during the Klondike Gold Rush with the wolfdog of the title. White Fang 2 picks up with Jack now in San Fransisco having left White Fang in the care of his friend Henry Casey (Scott Bairstow). Nearly drowning in a boating accident, Henry is rescued by Lily Joseph (Charmaine Craig) of the native Haida village. Lily Joseph believes Henry to be the human form of a mythical white wolf sent to help her starving tribe. Henry decides to help the Haida locate the caribou while also dealing with a corrupt mining organisation who are exploiting the Haida.

Published in 1906 Jack London's White Fang was a partly autobiographical novel inspired by his experiences in the Klondike. A sequel to a film based on an iconic literary work is unusual. It also seems a little unnecessary, especially one that largely deals with a different set of characters.

His uncredited appearance, limited to the prologue, suggests that Ethan Hawke declined a larger role in the film. As his replacement Scott Bairstow is a somewhat bland leading man and looks like he would be more comfortable in a 90s boy band than in the Klondike. In fairness, the role demands little of him, other than looking pretty while carrying out some mild heroics. Meatier roles are given to Alfred Molina and Geoffrey Lewis as the bad guys, but in general the movie suffers from too much focus on the humans and not enough of the magnificent White Fang; the beautiful half dog/half wolf reduced to supporting player in his own movie.


White Fang 2 is not without entertainment value. Its old fashioned adventure story is pleasant but unspectacular. Those young enough to forgive its simplistic storytelling will enjoy it but older audiences will be wishing this canine caper had a little more bite. Worth a look, especially if you enjoyed the original but, ultimately a bit of a disappointment.

Visit my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com for a longer, more in-depth review of White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf!