PW: Persistence Pays Off

Disney has always been known for the exhilarating, often unusual subject matter of its animated films. It's not surprising, then, that Lloyd Alexander's Newbery Honor-winning The Black Cauldron (1965), the second title in his now classic Chronicles of Prydain series, served as the basis of Disney's 25th animated feature, created back in 1985. But the film, The Black Cauldron, had never been released on video -- until now. This month Disney is bringing the title to home video, and thanks is due to a loyal fan of Alexander's book series who, over a 13-year period, indefatigably gathered together signatures petitioning Disney to have a change of heart. In conjunction with the video release, Dell/Yearling, paperback publisher of the Chronicles, plans to reissue the books with new cover art. Although the repackaged volumes will be promoted in BDD's winter catalogue, the new books will not begin to ship until the older stock is depleted.