The Black Cauldron

The long-touted magnum opus - an animated feature - supposed to revive Disney's flagging fortunes. Ostensibly a sinister sword and sorcery epic, it comes across as a major disappointment. Of course there's the statutuory naughty, cute furry animal to keep the very small children happy, but the rest of us kiddies walk out wondering when Jiminy Cricket is going to dust off his whistle. As usual it is technically excellent, but the charm, characterisation and sheer good humour that made features like Pinocchio and Jungle Book so enjoyable are sadly absent.