The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)

The Sword in the Stone
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by	Wolfgang Reitherman
Screenplay by	Bill Peet
Story by	Bill Peet
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Rickie Sorensen Karl Swenson Junius Matthews Sebastian Cabot Norman Alden Martha Wentworth
Edited by	Donald Halliday
Music by	George Bruns (score) Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman (songs)
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date	December 25, 1963 (1963-12-25)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$12 million (United States)

The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney and originally released to theaters on December 25, 1963 by Buena Vista Distribution. The 18th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the last Disney animated film released before Walt Disney's death.

The film is based on the novel of the same name, at first published in 1938 as a single novel. It was then later republished in 1958 as the first book of T. H. White's tetralogy The Once and Future King.

Plot

The film begins in the 6th century in England with the death of the king, Uther Pendragon. Uther did not leave an heir to his throne, and without a king, "it seemed that the land would be torn by war". Suddenly, the "Sword in the Stone" appears in London, with an inscription proclaiming that "Whoso Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of England." None succeed in removing the sword, which is soon forgotten, leaving England in the Dark Ages.

Many years later, the film introduces Arthur (also known as Wart), a 12-year-old orphan training to be a squire. While accompanying his older foster brother Kay on a hunting trip, Wart accidentally prevents Kay from shooting a deer. He goes to retrieve the arrow, and falls into Merlin's cottage. Merlin declares himself Wart's tutor and the two return to Wart's home, a castle run by Sir Ector, Arthur's foster father. Although Merlin convinces him that magic exists via conjuring up an indoor blizzard (referred to by Merlin as a "wizard blizzard"), Ector will not allow him to tutor Wart, so Merlin magically disappears, which persuades Ector to let Merlin stay. Ector's friend, Sir Pellinore, arrives with news about the annual jousting tournament to be held on New Year's Day in London, with the new development that the winner will become king. Ector decides to put Kay through serious training for the tournament and makes Wart his squire.

Merlin transforms Arthur and himself into fish and they swim in the castle moat to learn about physics. Wart is attacked by a pike and saved by Archimedes, Merlin's owl. Wart is sent to the kitchen as punishment after he tries relating his lesson to a disbelieving Ector. Merlin enchants the dishes to wash themselves, then takes Arthur for another lesson and turns them into squirrels to learn about gravity. Arthur is almost eaten by a wolf, but is saved by a female squirrel who falls in love with him. After they have returned to human form, Ector accuses Merlin of using black magic on the dishes. Wart defends Merlin but Ector will not listen, punishing Wart for "popping off" by giving Kay a different squire, Hobbs.

For his third lesson, after apologizing to Arthur and resolving to redeem him, Merlin transforms him into a sparrow and Archimedes, having charge of Arthur's education reassigned to him (because he thought Merlin's "Futuristic Fiddle Faddle" would only confuse Wart), teaches Arthur how to fly. Wart is attacked by a hawk and flies down the witch Madam Mim's chimney. Mim's magic uses trickery, as opposed to Merlin's scientific skill. Merlin arrives after she nearly kills Arthur and challenges Mim to a Wizards' Duel, in which the combatants change themselves into various non-imaginary animals to destroy one another. Mim breaks the rules she made first by disappearing, then eventually transforming into a purple dragon. Merlin transforms himself into a germ called "Malignalitaloptereosis" and infects Mim, effectively defeating her, thus demonstrating the importance of brains over brawn.

On Christmas Eve, Kay is knighted but Hobbs comes down with the mumps; Ector reinstates Wart as Kay's squire. Merlin, however, is disappointed and angry that Wart still prefers war games to academics. Wart tries to explain that, as an orphan, nobility is forbidden and a squire is the best position he can attain. This further angers Merlin, who shouts "Blow me to Bermuda!", transporting himself to 20th century Bermuda.

Ector, Kay, Sir Pellinore, Wart, and Archimedes travel to London for the tournament. Wart realizes he has left Kay's sword at a nearby inn, which is closed because of the tournament. Archimedes notices the "Sword in a Stone" in a nearby churchyard. Arthur pulls the sword from the anvil, unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy. When Arthur returns with the sword, Ector and Black Bart recognize it as the "Sword in the Stone" and the tournament is stopped. Demanding that Arthur prove he pulled it, Ector replaces the sword in its anvil. None of the other men can remove it as before, but Arthur pulls it out again. This time the sky grows brighter and miracles appear in England. The knights all proclaim, "Hail, King Arthur! Long live the King!" as the crowd kneels down before him, the first being Ector, who apologizes to Arthur for his previous harsh treatment.

Arthur, crowned king, sits in the throne room with Archimedes, yet feels unprepared to take the responsibility of royalty. Overwhelmed by the cheering crowd outside, Arthur calls out to Merlin for help, who arrives from the 20th century and is elated to find that Arthur is the king that he saw in the future. Merlin tells the boy that he will lead the Knights of the Round Table, becoming one of the most famous figures in literature and even in motion pictures.

Cast and characters

• Rickie Sorenson, Richard Reitherman and Robert Reitherman as Arthur/Wart, the long-lost son of Uther Pendragon and the future King Arthur. He is Disney's adaptation of legendary English leader King Arthur. Arthur was voiced by three different actors, leading to noticeable changes in voice between scenes of the film. Also, the three voices all have a Brooklyn-esque accent, in sharp contrast with the English setting and pseudo-English accent sported by all other characters in the film.
• Karl Swenson as Merlin, the legendary wizard who aids and educates King Arthur about various things. He was animated by several of Disney's Nine Old Men, including Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and John Lounsbery. Kahl also designed the character, refining the storyboard sketches of Bill Peet. Merlin can be recognized by his massive beard, which always gets caught in most of his machines, and a pair of glasses he wears to see, and is also the world's most powerful magician.
• Martha Wentworth as Madam Mim, a black witch and Merlin's arch-nemesis. Mim was animated by two of Disney's legendary Nine Old Men, Milt Kahl (who also designed the character, refining storyboard sketches from Bill Peet), and Frank Thomas. Kahl animated her initial interaction with Arthur, while Thomas oversaw her famous "Wizards' Duel" with Merlin. Wentworth also voiced the Granny Squirrel, a dim-witted, elderly female squirrel that develops an attraction to Merlin.
• Junius Matthews as Archimedes, Merlin's crotchety yet highly-educated pet owl who has the ability of speaking and the comic relief of the film. Archimedes accompanies Wart during his training, and is the one who alerts Merlin after Madam Mim kidnaps Arthur. He stays with Wart when Merlin travels to the 20th century.
• Sebastian Cabot as Sir Ector, the ruler of King Uther Pendragon's castle and the foster father of Arthur. He does not believe in magic until Merlin casts a blizzard in front of him, thus letting the wizard educate Arthur in the castle. Though he loves Arthur, he often treats him harshly and fails to realize he may be Uther's son.
• Norman Alden as Sir Kay, the older foster brother of Wart. He is inept at the art of jousting and sword fighting. Though he loves Wart, he often treats him with contempt.
• Alan Napier as Sir Pellinore, a friend of Sir Ector who announces the tournament in which Arthur is revealed as king.
• Thurl Ravenscroft as Sir Bart, also known as the Black Knight, one of the first to recognize the sword pulled by Arthur from the stone.
• James MacDonald as The Wolf, an unnamed, starving wolf who wants to eat Wart. He was defeated in and never seen again after getting trapped in a log in the squirrel scene.
• Ginny Tyler as The Little Girl Squirrel, a young female squirrel whom Wart come across. She immediately develops an attraction to him. After she saves him from the wolf and Wart returns to human form, she breaks down into tears and runs away. She is last seen watching Wart and Merlin leave the forest, heartbroken, and crying one last time before the screen fades to black.

Release

Theatrical releases

The film was originally released on December 25, 1963. It was then followed with re-issues in the United States on December 22, 1972 and March 25, 1983 as a double feature with Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore.

Reception

The film was a financial success at the box office and was the sixth highest grossing film of 1963 in North America, earning estimated rentals of $4.75 million. It was better received by British critics than American critics, who thought it had too much humor and a "thin narrative." Rotten Tomatoes reports that 74% of critics gave positive reviews based on 23 reviews with an average score of 6.1/10. Its consenus states that "A decent take on the legend of King Arthur, The Sword in the Stone suffers from relatively indifferent animation, but its characters are still memorable and appealing." Nell Minow of Common Sense Media gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "Delightful classic brings Arthur legend to life".

In his book The Best of Disney, Neil Sinyard states that, despite being not well known, the film has excellent animation, a complex structure, and is actually more philosophical than other Disney features. Sinyard suggests that Walt Disney may have seen something of himself in Merlin, and that Mim, who "hates wholesome sunshine", may have represented critics.

Accolades

The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Score—Adaptation or Treatment in 1963, but lost against Irma La Douce.

The American Film Institute nominated The Sword in the Stone for its Top 10 Animated Films list.

Soundtrack

• "The Sword in the Stone" (Sung by Fred Darian)
• "Higitus Figitus" (Sung by Merlin)
• "That's What Makes the World Go Round" (Sung mainly by Merlin)
• "A Most Befuddling Thing" (Sung by Merlin)
• "Mad Madam Mim" (Sung by Mim)
• "Blue Oak Tree" (Ending of the song, sung by the Knights)
• "The Magic Key" (Deleted song)

Other media

Several characters from the film made frequent appearances in the Disney's House of Mouse television series. Merlin was voiced by Hamilton Camp. One of his notable appearances in the series was in the episode: "Rent Day", in which he tells Mickey Mouse that he will give him the 50 ups only if he gives Arthur a sword. Madam Mim appears as one of the villains in the spin-off film Mickey's House of Villains. Merlin frequents the Disney Parks, the only character from the film appearing for meet-and-greets at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. He appears as part of the opening unit of Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams at Disneyland Park. He also hosts the Sword in the Stone ceremony in the King Arthur Carrousel attraction in Fantasyland at Disneyland.

Comics

Madam Mim

Madam Mim was adopted into the Duck universe where she sometimes teams up with Magica De Spell and/or the Beagle Boys. She has also appeared in the Mickey Mouse universe where she teamed up with Black Pete on occasion and even with the Phantom Blot at one point. She was in love with Captain Hook in several stories; in others, with Phantom Blot. In many European Disney comics, she has lost her truly evil streak, and appears both morbid yet still relatively polite.

Mim has appeared in numerous comics produced in the United States by Studio Program in the 1960s and 1970s, often as a sidekick of Magica. Most of these stories were published in Europe and South America. Among the artists are Jim Fletcher, Tony Strobl, Wolfgang Schäfer, and Katja Schäfer. Several new characters were introduced in these stories, including Samson Hex, an apprentice of Mim and Magica.

Video games

Madam Mim appears in the video game World of Illusion as the fourth boss of that game.

Merlin is a supporting character in the Kingdom Hearts series, now voiced by Jeff Bennett in Kingdom Hearts II. In Kingdom Hearts, Merlin lives in an abandoned shack in Traverse Town with Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, sent by King Mickey to aid Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the art of magic. He also owns an old book which features the world of The Hundred Acre Wood, home of Winnie the Pooh. The book's pages, however, have been torn out and scattered across the universe, and Merlin asks Sora to retrieve them for him. He reprises the same role in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, as a figment of Sora's memories. In Kingdom Hearts II, Merlin moved to Hollow Bastion to aid Leon's group as part of the town's Restoration Committee, though he is at odds with Cid who prefers his own computer expertise rather than Merlin's magic. Merlin again instructs Sora, Donald and Goofy in the art of magic, and once again requests that they retrieve the stolen parts of the Pooh storybook. At one point in the game, he is summoned to Disney Castle by Queen Minnie to counter the threat of Maleficent, and he constructs a door leading to Disney Castle's past (Timeless River) for the trio to explore and stop Maleficent and Pete's plans. In the prequel, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Merlin encounters Terra, Aqua and Ventus, and grants them each access to the Hundred Acre Wood. The prequel also reveals that it was Terra who gave him the book in the first place after finding it somewhere in Radiant Garden.

See also

• List of films based on Arthurian legend

External links

• Official website
• The Sword in the Stone at AllMovie
• Template:Bcdb title
• The Sword in the Stone at IMDb
• The Sword in the Stone at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Sword in the Stone at Box Office Mojo