In 1985, Disney studios released The Black Cauldron as an animated feature film. It features superior animation and was intended to mark the Disney studio's return to creating great animated feature films. Animators who worked on this motion picture became the core group for the animation teams that created — and continue to create — the magnificent Disney animated features such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. With a plot and characters seemingly intended for small children, the sometimes frightening scenes and the foreboding atmosphere made the motion picture more suited to teenage viewers, as well as grown-ups who enjoy sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Reviewers were not entirely sure of what to make of the motion picture, but it drew large audiences, demonstrating that there was a significant market for well-done animated adventures, and although it falls short of greatness, it does mark the beginning of a new...