The Horned King is the primary antagonist of the 1985 classic Disney animated film The Black Cauldron. A skeletal, demonic figure of pure evil, this monstrous tyrant seeks out the mystical power of the Black Cauldron to raise a mighty undead army to conquer the world.
He was voiced by the late John Hurt.
History[]
The Horned King desires to find the Black Cauldron and use its power to unleash an army of deathless Cauldron-Born to rule the world. He goes to many lengths to find it, kidnapping Eilonwy for her bauble and Hen Wen because he believes they have powers to locate the Black Cauldron.
When Taran falls into the dining hall of his keep, the king instructs him to show the location of the Black Cauldron via Hen Wen. When Taran refuses, the king orders his men to kill the pig, forcing the boy to comply. As Taran instructs Hen Wen to create a spell pointing the Cauldron's wherabouts, the excited king gets too close to Taran who in his fright splashes water into the King's eyes (which has an agonizing effect on him) to lead Hen Wen into a chase where they manage to keep Hen Wen away and he is thrown into the dungeon. Later, Creeper reports that Taran and his new company have escaped and quietly tells him to send the Gwythaints to follow them.
The three heroes are ultimately captured along with the newly acquired Black Cauldron which he then summons the Cauldron-Born. He sends them to destroy all opposition, however Gurgi flings himself into the Cauldron to negate its necromancy. The Horned King suspects Creeper is the one to blame and carries him, returns to the room where the ritual was performed and finds Taran who he believes the Cauldron's failure was his doing. He throws Creeper aside, grabs Taran and lifts him off his feet, but Taran pushes the Horned King into the pull of the Cauldron. The Horned King grabs Taran again and tries to throw him into the Black Cauldron, but the cauldron pulls the Horned King in instead and rips the last vestiges of rotten flesh from his bones, destroying him.