The Sword in the Stone (1963)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Wolfgang Reitherman

Writers:

Bill Peet (story)
T.H. White (book)

Release Date:

25 December 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Tired of living in a Medieval mess...Merlin uses all his magic powers to change a scrawny little boy into a legendary hero!

Plot:

Merlin the Magician teaches a young boy who is destined to be King Arthur.

Plot Keywords:

Sword | Squire | King Arthur | Merlin The Magician | Wizard

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Rickie Sorensen	...	Wart (voice)
Karl Swenson	...	Merlin (voice)
Junius Matthews	...	Archimedes (voice)
Sebastian Cabot	...	Sir Ector (voice)
Norman Alden	...	Sir Kay (voice)
Martha Wentworth	...	Madam Mim / Old Lady Squirrel (voice)
Richard Reitherman	...	Wart (voice)
Robert Reitherman	...	Wart (voice)
Alan Napier	...	Sir Pelinore (voice)
Ginny Tyler	...	Little Girl Squirrel (voice)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | USA:Approved (certificate #20519) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | Norway:7 | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | New Zealand:G | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:o.Al.

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

The Anniversary DVD release has censored one of Mad Madam Mim's lines: "I do hope it's serious, something dreadful, ha, ha, ha!"

Goofs:

Continuity: When Merlin is packing his bag by magic to go to the castle, the flow of items stops halfway into the bag as the sugar bowl fights with the teapot. When Merlin says, "Where was I?" there are no items near the bag. The camera cuts to Wart and when it goes back to Merlin, the items are back where they were.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Beginning singer: A legend is sung, of when England was young, and knights were brave and bold. The good king had died, and no one could decide who was rightful heir to the throne. It seemed that the land would be torn by war, or saved by a miracle alone. And that miracle appeared in London town: The Sword in the Stone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "House of Mouse: House of Scrooge (#3.5)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

The Legend of the Sword in the Stone

Lowbrow fun

This isn't usually counted as being one of the top-ranking Disney films, but I insist on not being snobbish in this list, and remembering the films that brought me joy as a kid. Wart gets to be a squirrel, a bird and a fish during this film which plays fast and loose with Arthurian legend. Merlin is great, and his battle with Madam Mim the stuff of legend. It's not big, it's not clever, but it is fun!