The Sword In The Stone (1963) (Disney)

If you have seen the original Winnie the Pooh film you will have an idea about the comparison of quality of Sword in the Stone versus the really good Disney films. While Pooh is such lovable character that you can forgive the disappointment of that film, with the Sword in the Stone even the characters are unlikeable which makes the film a real drudgery to watch. And there really isn't much of a storyline to it. While expecting to see something about the Legend of Arthur, you instead get this long sequence in the middle where Merlin and Arthur have turned into squirrels and Arthur has to prove himself. Pointless meandering in place of having an actual story.


Disney Masterpiece.   February 24, 2001
beck1983@hotmail.com (wales)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

This has got to be my favourite Disney film of all time! It's got it all. Comedy, adventure, magic and fun. Excellent story and animation, people of all ages will enjoy it. If you enjoyed this film i also recommend Robin Hood and Sleeping Beauty.


Fantastic and hilarious   January 27, 2004
R. Kuske
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

This film is absolutely brilliant! It is both hilarious (the episode with Arthur and Merlin as squirrels), dark (Mad Mim in her various disguises)and magical (a poor boy treated like a slave becomes king of England). It follows Arthur (or Wart as he is sometimes called) and Merlin the magician. Together they make magic and music and mayhem. This will make you cry with laughter, will have you singing along to the songs and will have you quivering in your seats (although it is not too scary for young children) If you like Alice in Wonderland I'm sure you would like this one. One for all the family.


A Masterpiece   March 14, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

When i was growing up, the sword and the stone was my favourite disney film. The combination of music and laughter made it superb. although people may say it wasnt a classic, in my eyes it was.


Surprisingly faithful adaption of TH White's fantasy book   January 19, 2006
Keith Joseph (West Berkshire, England)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I really loved TH White's (1938) book 'The sword in the stone' when I read at 12 in the 1960's. Actually the Amazon review above is slightly in error 'The once and future king' is the title of the combined tetrology based on the legendary life of King Arthur, where the original 'Sword in the Stone' book was revised and edited (somewhat badly). The Sword in the Stone is therefore the first book in the series and covers Arthur's life as a youth. For the rest of the Arthurian legend you have to read the next three or four books. That is why this Disney film only covers Arthur's boyhood, and finishes with Arthur standing by 'The sword in the stone'. For this reason the book is filled with the hope and trials of youth and is thus far more jolly than most of King Arthur's adult life (at least when viewed from an adults perspective).

This film (and the book) follow Arthur's eventual rise from being second fiddle to his older step-brother Kay, who is clearly dad's favourite - his dad, Sir Hector, even calls Arthur 'the Wart'. Not that Sir Hector isn't very fond of Arthur, it just reflects Arthur's lowly but highly protected status of being a young boy. It is therefore a coming of age story, and I think any boy from 8 up would strongly identify with the Wart. Soon into the story the magician Merlin arrives and instructs the Wart using magic to illustrate points, even transforming them both into many things from birds and fish to trees and stones. This is all followed fairly faithfully by the film (although the more mystical tree and stone sequences were sadly cut out). Living his life 'backwards' Merlin naturally has the edge on other mortals when it comes to prophesy, although 'the future' in-jokes in the film do intrude somewhat. The film is also more jocular than the satirical and witty book, ignoring it's portrayal of the grittier realism of medieval life, like the young boy who has his nose bitten off by a man similarly afflicted who he was taunting. TH White manages to merge aspects of the twentieth century seamlessly into the tale, just as the Mallory's 'Morte de Arthur' originally combined the Saxon descriptions of the great warrior King Arthur with 'modern' medieval concepts like chivalry and knighthood [to create the Arthurian legend we now know]. In many respects the clearly Roman educated and Christian Arthur has been confused by the pagan Saxons with Jesus, hence 'The once and future king' aspects of the legend.

In the film, the battle with the witch (Madam Mim) who the Wart encounters in the forest, is far more central to the plot, and Disney can't resist adding the odd, rather good, song sequence. The uplifting end (removing Excalibur from the stone) is naturally retained, finishing the story on a high note with the 'Wart' triumphant. This was the 18th Disney animated film, from 1963, and the film has been fully restored for DVD with 5.1 sound added. Also included are: a short cartoon, a 'sword in the stone' scrapbook & two fun sing-a-longs of the films songs, plus a Music Magic Featurette [and the usual few minutes of annoying adverts for other Disney DVDs]. So all in all, a highly recommended medieval based 'fantasy' cartoon film for pre-teen boys. If you like this film, do get the original book - it's an easy read for 10 and over.