I’ve always loved animated movies. I don’t know if I’d necessarily call it a passion (it’s for sure a passion, but that’s super nerdy so), but I know that for as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to them. I love all kinds of animation, or cartoons if you will. Disney, Dreamworks, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli have always been big names for me. Even when I was a little boy, I had always dreamed of working for one of these companies. Whether it be coming up with ideas for storylines, character creation, or even learning and assisting with the very technical stuff, working for one of these companies somewhere down the line would fulfill my lifetime goal.

Anyway, this weekend, I saw a Disney animated movie that I had never seen before. It’s called ‘The Black Cauldron,’ and it was released in 1985 – yeah… old. I’m not sure what exactly made me choose this movie, especially because I was initially sketched out that there was a Disney animated movie that I hadn’t seen and just assumed there must’ve been a good reason for that, but I am so very glad that I did.

I couldn’t believe that I had never seen this movie, because it had all the elements that I love in films! It was dark and eerie, but still humorous and fun, the characters were amazing and creative (especially the horned king – best villain out there. Period), and the storyline was perfectly complex and interesting. For those of you who have never heard of this movie, ‘The Black Cauldron,’ is likely Disney’s darkest animated movie. The story follows a young pig herder named Taran, whose magical, future-telling pig, gets stolen by the horned king. The horned king took the pig because he believed it would help him find the mysterious ‘black cauldron,’ which will help him take over the world. Anyway, there are many twists and turns embedded in the story line, but you can probably guess, generally, what happens next in the story.

So, I’m writing about this movie today because it really ignited something in me. If I’m being honest, I’ve felt that ever since getting back from break, things have been quite rocky for me, both in school and out. Frankly, it’s been a frustrating start to the year for many reasons out of my control, and I’ve been feeling a bit lost and distracted ever since I returned to London from home. This movie, however, sort of snapped me out of it. I’m not undermining our classroom activities by any means, and we’ve already had some amazing and inspiring masterclasses since we’ve been back, but this movie brought me back to that necessary state of childhood wonder. It gave me back my inspiration and, ultimately, drove me to want to just make fucking cool shit. It reminded me where my passions lie, and where I want to focus my strengths and efforts. It gave me the confidence to just say fuck it and to be myself again. To put myself and my own crazy personality into my work. So I gotta say: thank you, Disney. Thanks for bringing me back.

Also, if you’re into animation of any kind, go see this movie. You won’t regret it.