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50 free The Black Cauldron trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The Black Cauldron is Disney's 1985 animated adaptation of the first two Chronicles of Prydain books, with assistant pig-keeper Taran, Princess Eilonwy, the bard Fflewddur Fflam and the creature Gurgi racing the skeletal Horned King to a cauldron that raises the dead. It was the first Disney animated feature rated PG, the first to use computer-generated imagery, the most expensive animated film made to that point, and a flop so severe it was nicknamed the film that almost killed Disney. This quiz covers the story and the troubled production: the voice cast and the actors who auditioned and lost, the Tim Burton artwork that was thrown out, the Milt Kahl redesigns, the test screening that made Jeffrey Katzenberg cut the film himself, the twelve missing minutes, Elmer Bernstein's ondes Martenot, the Super Technirama 70 release, the Care Bears humiliation, the thirteen-year wait for a VHS, and the theme-park and video-game afterlife. Fifty questions, four options each, with a short explanation after every answer. Play on your phone or print it for a quiz night.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In what year was The Black Cauldron released?
1985
It had been scheduled for Christmas 1984 until a disastrous test screening forced cuts and a delay.
Q 02The film is based on the first two books of which fantasy series?
The Chronicles of Prydain
Lloyd Alexander's five-volume series began with The Book of Three in 1964.
Q 03Who wrote the novels the film is based on?
Lloyd Alexander
He said there was 'no resemblance between the movie and the book' but admitted he found the film enjoyable.
Q 04What is Taran's humble job at the start of the film?
Assistant pig-keeper
He dreams of becoming a famous warrior while tending the oracular pig Hen Wen.
Q 05What is the name of the oracular pig the Horned King wants to capture?
Hen Wen
Her visions can reveal the location of the cauldron, which is why Dallben sends her away for safety.
Q 06What are the Horned King's undead warriors called?
The Cauldron-Born
Scenes of them mauling henchmen were cut after the test screening, leaving audible jumps in the soundtrack.
Q 07What are the Gwythaints?
Wyvern-like flying creatures
They snatch Hen Wen early in the film, sending Taran off to the Horned King's castle.
Q 08Who frees Taran from the Horned King's dungeon?
Princess Eilonwy
Her design was drawn to resemble Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.
Q 09What instrument does the bard Fflewddur Fflam play?
The lyre
Nigel Hawthorne, Sir Humphrey of Yes Minister, voiced the bumbling bard.
Q 10Who jumps into the cauldron to stop the undead army?
Gurgi
Taran intends to sacrifice himself, but the once-cowardly creature beats him to it and is later revived by the witches.
Q 11Where do the three witches who hold the cauldron live?
The Marshes of Morva
Orddu, Orgoch and Orwen trade the cauldron for Taran's magic sword.
Q 12Which witch has a fixation on Fflewddur?
Orwen
Orddu leads the trio, Orgoch is the greedy one, and Orwen the benevolent one.
Q 13Who voices the Horned King?
John Hurt
The New York Times singled out his performance; John Huston narrates the prologue.
Q 14Which legendary director narrates the film's prologue?
Q 21By roughly how many minutes was the film ultimately cut?
4
Existing scenes had to be rewritten and reanimated for continuity.
Q 22Who phoned the editing room and convinced Katzenberg to stop cutting the film himself?
Michael Eisner
Katzenberg agreed but still pushed the release from Christmas 1984 to July 1985.
Q 23In which year did Disney first acquire the film rights to the books?
1973
The series had been optioned in 1971; actual production did not begin until 1980.
Q 24Which future director of The Little Mermaid was the film's initial director?
John Huston
He was 78 at the time and died two years later.
Q 15Which impressionist voices both Gurgi and Doli?
John Byner
He added a 'child's inflection' after seeing the concept art for Gurgi.
Q 16Which M*A*S*H actor auditioned for Gurgi and was thrown out after three hours?
Gary Burghoff
He refused to leave while the directors grew frustrated with his endless vocal variations.
Q 17Which former Disney child star was considered for the voice of Eilonwy in 1981?
Hayley Mills
The role went to Susan Sheridan, who recorded it on three trips to the studio.
Q 18Who plays Creeper, the Horned King's goblin assistant?
Phil Fondacaro
Creeper later cameos in Tokyo Disneyland's Cinderella Castle show among other Disney villains.
Q 19What was the film the first Disney animated feature to receive?
A PG rating
Producer Joe Hale said the studio wanted something that would attract teenagers rather than small children.
Q 20Which newly appointed studio chairman ordered scenes cut after the test screening?
Jeffrey Katzenberg
He started editing the film himself until Eisner phoned the edit bay and talked him out of it.
John Musker
His comedic ideas for the first act were rejected, and he and Clements left to develop The Great Mouse Detective.
Q 25Whose character artwork did producer Joe Hale discard?
Tim Burton's
Hale and the directors wanted a Sleeping Beauty-style look instead.
Q 26Which retired member of the Nine Old Men returned to design the principal characters?
Milt Kahl
He redesigned Taran, Eilonwy and Fflewddur Fflam.
Q 27How had storyboard artist Vance Gerry first drawn the Horned King?
As a big-bellied, red-bearded Viking
Joe Hale rejected it in favour of the thin, hooded figure with glowing red eyes.
Q 28The film was the first Disney feature to use what in its animation?
Computer-generated imagery
The CGI covered bubbles, a boat, a floating orb of light and the cauldron itself.
Q 29Which later Disney film's crew actually did its computer graphics first?
The Great Mouse Detective
Producer Joe Hale borrowed that crew to create some CGI for his own film.
Q 30What was the APT process, first used on the film, designed to replace?
Hand-inking of cels
Inventor David W. Spencer won a technical Academy Award for it, but CAPS soon made it obsolete.