The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition)

Maybe that's because it's a movie for little kids you twit.

I didn't intend to review this but I see all these jack*ffs slamming a children's cartoon and I just had to say something.

"What do you get when you mix TH White and Disney and BLAH BLAH DIDDLEY BLEH!"

Oh you witty rascal you.

Shut up. Just shut up.

Old Disney movie that is fun to watch. Glad to have in DVD format for my collection of Disney movies

I love this movie, i am so glad that it is released again for Disney lovers everywhere

As other reviewers have duly noted, this film (first released in 1963) is based on the first of four parts of T.H. White's The Once and Future King (1958), focusing on Arthur's birth, childhood, and youth before he became king of England. The film has been reissued as a 45th anniversary edition. It features the well-selected voices of Sebastian Cabot (Sir Ector/Narrator), Karl Swenson (Merlin), Rickie Sorensen (Arthur/"Wart"), Junius Matthews (Archimedes), and Alan Napier (Sir Pelinore). Frankly, I was underwhelmed when I first saw it many years ago and had little patience with the antics. While seeing it again recently, I found the film much more entertaining and frequently charming.

In our family, a film's "acid test" for grandchildren is for them to want to see it again, immediately. After I watched it with several of the younger ones, they requested that but agreed, instead, to check out "Merlin's New Magical Academy Game," passing on the other bonus features. I would not rank The Sword in the Stone among the "classic" animated features produced by Disney (e.g. Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Pinocchio, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and Pixar (e.g. Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and WALL-E) as well as DreamWorks' Antz and Shrek. However, how many animation features do?

Perhaps there are other grandparents and parents who also saw The Sword in the Stone years ago, as did I, and are not inclined to have a copy available for children to see. I urge them to reconsider because it possesses a unique "magic" of its own. I think they will also enjoy the bonus features. Hopefully this reissued version will attract the interest and gain the appreciation the film clearly deserves.

Made in 1963 and based upon the 1938 story of the same name by Terence H. White, THE SWORD IN THE STONE was Disney's attempt to bring the legend of King Arthur under the Disney banner. The film begins with the wizard Merlin talking with his owl, Archimedes. Merlin is awaiting the arrival of a young boy who he wants to train and educate so he is prepared for his exciting future. The boy, nicknamed "Wart", literally falls through Merlin's roof. Merlin immediately begins Wart's education and returns with the boy to the castle where he resides as a squire for the son of his guardian.

THE SWORD IN THE STONE isn't as well known as many other Disney animated features. However, I remember watching the film on television as a child and there were a couple of scenes that stuck out in particular. The first was when Merlin turns himself and Arthur into squirrels. Arthur meets a young female squirrel and while trying to avoid her, causes her to fall in love with him. I'm not sure why, but I found that particular episode fascinating; what would you do if you could magically turn into an animal and a creature of the same species but of the opposite sex wanted to mate with you?

The second scene that stood out to me was the wizards duel between Merlin and the evil witch Mad Madam Mim. Merlin uses magic to help others while Mim uses magic for destruction and to hurt others. The duel is brought to a conclusion with some very creative thinking from Merlin.

Overall, though perhaps not as memorable, fascinating, or memorable as many other animated Disney films, THE SWORD IN THE STONE is an entertaining movie that families with little children can sit and watch together. It does stray from some of the more popular Arthur legends, but it may intrigue youngsters enough to cause them to investigate other Arthur stories. Also, the film is the first Disney animated feature with songs written by Richard and Robert Sherman.

Many Disney Platinum and Anniversary DVDs have been lacking in the extras department. There are actually some really good extras on this disc, especially considering THE SWORD IN THE STONE is a lesser-known Disney picture. There are two wonderful shorts on the disc. The first is "Knight for a Day". It features Goofy in a slightly different form as a medieval squire who has to take over when his knight "disappears" just before a joust. The second cartoon short on the disc is the classic "Brave Little Tailor". This short stars Mickey Mouse as a tailor who after a bit of misinterpretation is sent to slay a giant. If he's successful, the King has promised him riches beyond compare as well as the hand of his true love, Princess Minnie. I remember first reading this story in a volume of Disney storybooks as a child. It was one that stuck with me through the years and I fell in love with the short when I saw it on television years later. "Brave Little Tailor" also has a cameo by Pluto, but not in his now-familiar dog on four legs form.

In addition to these two great shorts, THE SWORD IN THE STONE 45th ANNIVERSARY DVD includes a featurette with the Sherman Brothers discussing and performing the two songs they wrote for the movie, but that were cut. Other extras include a song selection feature; a trivia game about the film entitled "Merlin's Magical Academy Game" that's surprisingly fun to play a few times; a clip of Walt Disney performing magic tricks; and a "making of" featurette.