The Sword in the Stone
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Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.
What critics thought
Critics at the time gave the film a mixed but not unkind reception, finding the animation charming but the script too loose and wandering to do justice to the Arthurian legend. The film has worn reasonably well with general audiences, though later critical writing tends to agree with the original complaint: the episodic structure keeps it from cohering into something truly memorable.
“demonstrates anew the magic of the Disney animators and imagination in character creation... But one might wish for a script which stayed more with the basic story line rather than taking so many twists and turns which have little bearing on the tale about King Arthur as a lad.”
Gene Arneel·Variety
“an eye-filling package of rollicking fun and thoughtful common sense. The humor sparkles with real, knowing sophistication — meaning for all ages — and some of the characters on the fifth-century landscape of Old England are Disney pips.”
Bosley Crowther·The New York Times
“It feels older than contemporary Disney work due to flat, creaky animation. The story still has resonance for kids, though.”
Empire Magazine
“more intimate than usual with a somewhat smaller cast of characters—animal as well as human. Otherwise, the youngsters should find it par the usual Disney cartoon course.”
Philip K. Scheuer·Los Angeles Times
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Wolfgang ReithermanDirector
Sebastian CabotThe Narrator/Sir Ector (voice)
Karl SwensonMerlin (voice)
Junius MatthewsArchimedes the Owl (voice)
Martha WentworthMadam Mim / Old Lady Squirrel (voice)
Norman AldenKay (voice)
Rickie SorensenWart (voice)
Ginny TylerLittle Girl Squirrel (voice)
Alan NapierSir Pellinore (voice)
Barbara Jo AllenScullery Maid (voice) (uncredited)
James MacDonaldThe Wolf / Pike / Tiger Mim (voice) (uncredited)
George BrunsComposerThe Sword in the Stone
Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.
What critics thought
Critics at the time gave the film a mixed but not unkind reception, finding the animation charming but the script too loose and wandering to do justice to the Arthurian legend. The film has worn reasonably well with general audiences, though later critical writing tends to agree with the original complaint: the episodic structure keeps it from cohering into something truly memorable.
“demonstrates anew the magic of the Disney animators and imagination in character creation... But one might wish for a script which stayed more with the basic story line rather than taking so many twists and turns which have little bearing on the tale about King Arthur as a lad.”
Gene Arneel·Variety
“an eye-filling package of rollicking fun and thoughtful common sense. The humor sparkles with real, knowing sophistication — meaning for all ages — and some of the characters on the fifth-century landscape of Old England are Disney pips.”
Bosley Crowther·The New York Times
“It feels older than contemporary Disney work due to flat, creaky animation. The story still has resonance for kids, though.”
Empire Magazine
“more intimate than usual with a somewhat smaller cast of characters—animal as well as human. Otherwise, the youngsters should find it par the usual Disney cartoon course.”
Philip K. Scheuer·Los Angeles Times
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Wolfgang ReithermanDirectorSebastian CabotThe Narrator/Sir Ector (voice)Karl SwensonMerlin (voice)Junius MatthewsArchimedes the Owl (voice)Martha WentworthMadam Mim / Old Lady Squirrel (voice)Norman AldenKay (voice)Rickie SorensenWart (voice)Ginny TylerLittle Girl Squirrel (voice)Alan NapierSir Pellinore (voice)Barbara Jo AllenScullery Maid (voice) (uncredited)James MacDonaldThe Wolf / Pike / Tiger Mim (voice) (uncredited)George BrunsComposerStream
Rent & Buy