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The Sword in the Stone

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Film Review: The Sword in the Stone (1963)@drax544d

(source: tmdb.org)

The Arthurian legends have captivated audiences for centuries, inspiring a vast array of literary, artistic, and musical works. This enduring fascination has naturally led to the production of numerous films, each attempting to capture the essence of these timeless tales. However, with such a large body of work, the quality of adaptations has varied significantly; some films fail to live up to their potential. This is particularly true for Walt Disney's 1963 animated feature, The Sword in the Stone, which is often regarded as one of the lesser entries in Disney's illustrious catalogue of animated classics.

Based on T. H. White's 1938 novel of the same name, The Sword in the Stone is the first part of White's celebrated series The Once and Future King. This seminal work has had a profound impact on Arthurian literature and culture, influencing not only literature but also stage productions, most notably the popular Broadway musical Camelot.

Set in a mythical version of medieval England, the film opens in a time of chaos following the death of King Uther Pendragon. With no clear heir to the throne, the country descends into anarchy and violence. A prophecy foretells that only he who can pull the legendary sword Excalibur from its anvil shall become king. Many have tried and failed, leading to a general forgetfulness about the sword's significance. By the time the plot unfolds, a tournament in London is set to determine the new king, with Sir Ector (voiced by Sebastian Cabot) hoping his son Sir Kay (voiced by Norman Alden) will emerge victorious. Meanwhile, Arthur—affectionately known as "Wart" (voiced by Ricky Sorensen, Richard Reitherman, and Robert Reitherman)—serves as a squire at Sir Ector’s estate. His life takes a fateful turn when he encounters Merlin (voiced by Karl Swenson), an eccentric wizard who possesses knowledge of future events and takes it upon himself to educate Wart.

Disney had initially acquired the filming rights to White's novel in 1938, but the project was put on hold due to the outbreak of the Second World War and the studio's focus on other endeavours. The film spent over two decades in development hell, with Disney finally giving the green light in the early 1960s, inspired by the success of Camelot. The Sword in the Stone would ultimately become the last animated feature completed during Disney's lifetime.

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, a veteran animator at Disney responsible for several acclaimed features during the 1960s and 1970s, The Sword in the Stone exemplifies traditional animation techniques. The film showcases impressive character animation alongside light-hearted humour and catchy songs composed by brothers Robert and Richard Sherman—who would later become legends within Disney’s musical canon.

Despite its charm and entertainment value, The Sword in the Stone falls short when compared to Disney’s more iconic classics. A significant factor contributing to this perception is its script, which prioritises comical misadventures over deeper narrative engagement with Arthurian lore. The sequences where Merlin transforms Wart into various animals—a fish, a squirrel, and a bird—while amusing, feel somewhat disconnected from the gravitas typically associated with Arthurian mythology. The magical duel between Merlin and Madam Mim (voiced by Martha Wentworth) provides an entertaining diversion but lacks any substantial connection to Wart's destiny as king. When Wart finally pulls Excalibur from the anvil in a climactic moment that should resonate with significance, it arrives almost as an afterthought; Merlin is notably absent from this pivotal scene because he has chosen to take a holiday in 20th-century Bermuda. This anti-climactic conclusion feels more like an introduction to a longer saga rather than a satisfying resolution.

These shortcomings did not go unnoticed by contemporary critics; however, The Sword in the Stone achieved considerable commercial success upon its release. This success played a crucial role in maintaining Disney's status as a powerhouse in Hollywood and global animation even after its founder’s passing. While it may not reach the high standards set by some of its predecessors or successors, modern audiences—particularly younger viewers—are likely to find enjoyment in its whimsical storytelling and vibrant animation.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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2 more reviews

›The Sword in the Stone (ENG/SPA)@bethyjade821d

Fuente

Hello, people of the Internet, today I want to tell you about a movie that I haven't seen for a long time, it's one of the Disney classics: The Sword and the Stone. It's not really one of my favourites, but it's fun!

Hola, gente de Internet, hoy quiero hablarles de una película que no veía hace mucho tiempo, se trata de uno de los clásicos de Disney: La Espada y la Piedra. La verdad no es de mis favoritas pero si es divertida.

Fuente

The story tells how "King Arthur became King" so this film gives a magical approach to the event and I liked the way the story unfolds. I feel that overall, the film felt a little short in relation to other Disney classics, however it is very good.

La historia nos narra el como "El rey Arturo logró ser Rey" es decir este film le da un enfoque mágico al hecho y el como se desarrolla la historia, me gustó. Siento que en términos generales, la película se sintió un poco corta en relación con otros clásicos de Disney, sin embargo es muy buena.

Merlin is the mentor of the young king, who has a rather humble origin, an orphan servant of a decadent lord who dreams of becoming a squire, since it is the only thing he can aspire to (or so he believes). Merlin, who is a clairvoyant magician, knows that the future of England is in the hands of the little boy and that is why through various strange and particular ways, he teaches him cunning, values, and other aspects of interest that will serve him when he becomes king.

Merlín es el mentor del joven rey, quien tiene un origen bastante humilde, un huérfano criado de un lord en decadencia que sueña con convertirse en escudero, ya que es lo único a lo que puede aspirar (o eso cree el) Merlin que es un mago clarividente, sabe que el futuro de Inglaterra está en las manos del pequeño y es por eso que mediante varias maneras extrañas y particulares, le va enseñando astucia, valores, y otros aspectos de interés que le servirán para cuando sea rey

Fuente

I feel that the events are out of order within the story, suddenly we have Merlin and Arthur being fish, then squirrels, then birds, and although some of these events have development at the end and Arthur can take advantage of them (like developing his cunning by escaping from a huge fish) in others it doesn't help at all (like when they are squirrels) you can tell that it's just there to fill the plot and that's it.

Siento que los eventos están desordenados dentro de la historia, de repente tenemos a Merlin y Arturo siendo peces, luego ardillas, luego aves, y aunque alguno de estos eventos tienen desarrollo al final y Arturo puede sacarle provecho (como desarrollar su astucia escapando de un pez enorme) en otros no ayuda en nada (como cuando son ardillas) se nota que solo está ahí para rellenar la trama y ya está.

On the other hand, I feel that everyone expects his mentor Merlin to be present when Arthur finally pulls the sword out of the stone (the legend said that a sword fell from the sky and was stuck in an anvil, that only the chosen one would pull it out and this person would be the king), however, in such a great moment as that, the mentor was not present, in fact he arrived when Arthur was already king, besides Arthur did not seem very happy to be king.

Por otro lado, siento que todos esperan que siendo su mentor Merlín esté presente cuando Arturo por fin saca la espada de la piedra (la leyenda rezaba que desde el cielo cayó una espada que se clavó en un yunque, que solo el elegido la sacaría y esta persona sería el rey) sin embargo, en un momento tan apoteósico como ese, el mentor no estuvo presente, de hecho llegó cuando Arturo ya era rey, además Arturo no parecía muy contento de ser rey.

Fuente

Also, I felt the ending was extremely abrupt, Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone (not even the coronation ceremony was shown) and then a short scene of Arthur calling Merlin, the wizard reassuring him and telling him that he had foreseen that he would be king and that he will be the best and that was the end. I think it would have been better to either have a scene of Arthur grown up receiving the love of his people or at least a voiceover saying that he reigned for years being loved and respected by his people, something that would help with that closure the film needed.

Además, sentí que el final fue extremadamente abrupto, Arturo sacó la espada de la piedra (ni siquiera se mostró la ceremonia de coronación) y luego una escena corta de Arturo llamando a Merlin, el mago tranquilizándolo y diciéndole que había previsto que seria rey y que será el mejor y fin. Creo que hubiese estado mejor o bien hacer un escena de Arturo ya crecido recibiendo el amor de su pueblo o al menos una voz en off que dijera que reinó por años siendo amado y respetado por su pueblo, algo que ayudara con ese cierre que necesitaba la película.

Finally I must say that my favourite scene is the magic duel between Madam Mim (that's Morgana) and Merlin, where she taught Arthur the most important thing, no matter how tricky your opponent is, as long as you are smarter than him, you will win. Besides the teaching, the duel itself is quite fun. I'll leave it below as a closing post:

Por último debo decir que mi escena preferida es el duelo de magia entre Madam Mim (que viene siendo Morgana) y Merlin, en donde le enseñó lo más importante a Arturo, no importa cuan tramposo sea tu adversario, siempre que seas más inteligente que él, vencerás. Además de la enseñanza, el duelo como tal es bastante divertido. Se los dejaré a continuación como cierre del post:

And well, people, that's all for today's post, I hope you liked it. Thank you very much as always for supporting my work, I welcome new readers, I love you all very much, I send you a hug and I'll see you in another post.

Y bueno, gente, esto ha sido todo por el post de hoy, espero que les haya gustado. Muchas gracias como siempre por apoyar mi trabajo, le doy la bienvenida a los nuevos lectores, les quiero mucho a todos, les envío un abrazo y ya nos encontraremos en otro post

The farewell image and the anti-plagiarism flyers were made in Canva.

La imagen de despedida y los flyers antiplagio los realicé en Canva.

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›Disney's Sword and the Stone (1963)@dlstudios2084d

Another one I watched while young that I didn't remember much about these days. Rewatching it now though I think this is one of the movies I enjoyed more than when I was a kid. Following around Merlin and a young squire named Arthur, Merlin is attempting to teach Arthur the virtues of math and science. Despite being a story about the youth of King Arthur before he rose to become a king, the idea he is even going to be a king, or the sword itself, doesn't become relevant until the very end of the movie.

That said, I like the idea behind the movie. Merlin tells Arthur that the way forward in the world isn't just brawn and training, but also knowledge. You have all kinds of fun little lessons about how the world works, both literally and thematically, and the show is broken up into a what are a series of loosely connected shorts following along this theme. You have a variety of viewpoints present as well so the show just isn't putting knowledge above all else. Merlin himself is kind of detached from notions of hard work and labor. You don't just need the knowledge of Merlin, but the structure and dedication of the knights of the era, as well as the desire to grow that Arthur himself possesses.

Furthermore, I love the other side of knowledge being presented as the every wonderful Mad Madam Mim. Magic works in this narrative as a sort of catch-all metaphor for science and progress. Merlin shows the good, whereas Mad Madam Mim shows the negative. In terms of pure theme, Sword in the Stone does probably the best job of any Disney movie so far at expressing them effectively. It can feel a little too on the nose and preach at times, but it does a good job all the same.

The actual narrative and characters, on the other hand, are a bit weak. No one manages to escape very basic character archetypes, but none of them are bad either. Pair that with the lack of any solid narrative, and the sudden ascent of Aurthur from Squire to King, which has never been set up in the slightest in the rest of the movie, and you have a rather poor story overall.

The show manages to make up for a lot of that by just being constantly funny. There is a lot of slapstick that works very well, Merlin being horribly lame but always impressed with himself, and Madam Mim who is just a treat to watch the brief time you get to see her. The show is one of the more consistently funny of any of these earlier Disney Films I've watched yet and stands as the biggest point in the show's favor.

On another note, unrelated to the movie directly, this is the first time we are seeing the songs take a more prominent role in the movies. Musical numbers have always been a part of the shows, and there have been some good ones, but here they seem to be taking a more prominent role. Going back to my favorite part of the show, Mad Madam Mim, her song was the best song of any Disney Film so far. I mean as I get later into their filmography there are better songs for sure, but in these early stages, this was my favorite.

There is a kind of weak spot at the end where he does become king by pulling the sword and this kind of betrays the whole idea of growing and learning to advance in the world. While I do still think that, on a whole, the show does a great job with its themes, there is no doubt this ending undercuts it a bit.

In the end, Sword in the Stone is held up by its strong themes and comedy, but held back with its weak story and flat characters, though the characters themselves are pretty funny. I don't think I'd call this great, or ranking anywhere near the best of their movies, but it's still a lot of fun to watch.

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