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ASIN : B00004CK4F
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
As far as Disney is concerned, The Sword in the Stone was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upstaging storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. Based on TH White's beloved novel The Once and Future King, this Disney version chronicles King Arthur's boyish adventures. There's much to enjoy here as coach Merlin the magician shows the young Arthur, nicknamed Wart, the skills that will help him become the future ruler of the Britons. The transformation sequences, where the boy is turned into a fish, a bird and a squirrel are vintage Disney. The oft-repeated scene of Merlin battling it out with mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it underlines the problem with most of the film--most of its scenes are only played for laughs. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Younger children will like it, while older kids will find it slower compared with recent Disney films. --Keith Simanton, Amazon.com
Synopsis
Family viewing with all the atmosphere of ancient England. Whoever has the power to release the sword from its resting place will be proclaimed King of the Realm.
Customer Reviews
Classic Disney genius! (2008-03-03)  We had this on video when I was a child and I watched it so many times that the tape got worn out and I couldn't anymore. I was heartbroken! and also very glad to see it now available on DVD!I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Archimedes yet - he and Merlin vie for best character in my opinion. A fluffy, pompous, talking owl! Quote:'Archimedes - you saved my life!'*looks grumpy* 'Pf pf pf pf pf, I was going to eat you.'
Walt Disney's most forgotten masterpiece! (2007-08-03) Among Walt Disney's thirteen animated works, none has been put aside and forgotten as much as The Sword in the Stone, which is really a shame, knowing that this is a no less delightful Disney experience, it is different in the fact that it tells a different kind of story, it is less intriguing but it offers lots of cool scenes and some memorable characters.The story in 1963's The Sword in the Stone revolves around education, education is the main theme and the moral is that you can't be anyone without a good education (Although in the real world we know that that isn't always the case). When England is left to perish without a king, a marvelous miracle occurs, a sword placed deep into a stone with the words that whoever pulls it out will be king of all England. Strong and mighty men give it a try, all failing and with time the sword is forgotten.The people of England then decide to have a knight tournament, in which the winner will be crowned king of all England. Wise wizard Merlin soon realizes that it takes more than strength or plain brutality to rule a country so he decides to educate a young servant boy by the name of "Wart." With different tricks and the help of his wise owl Archimedes, Merlin manages to teach some of the most important lessons to the young boy. Each of these lessons are taught in fun ways, by turning Wart and himself into different sorts of animals, he teaches about intelligence against strength, gravity and even love while at the same time, showing him about how different animals must struggle to survive.On the other hand, the son of Wart's master, Kay is the perfect example of no brain and pure strength, Merlin realizes having someone like him as king would bring the land to destruction so he must hurry and bring up Wart before Kay wins the knight tournament and is crowned King. In the end, Wart's hard-working brain defeat's Kay's strength and leads to be one of the greatest kings in the "history" of the United Kingdom.Fun, colorful scenes, great characters and lively music make this a quite memorable Disney classic. Every scene from beginning to end is filled with fun, including one in which Merlin himself must use the logic of his own lessons to defeat the hilariously evil Madame Mim, once again, by turning into different animals, surely one of the greatest scenes in the film. Animation quality may not be of the sharpest kind, however the animation itself is lively and realistic, characters are very expressive and move about realistically. Backgrounds can get annoyingly "lazy" but are not as bad as in, say, "101 Dalmatians." The movie is a little dated because of its references to the 1960's, but it is still quite fun to watch at any time, any year. Highly recommended, being the last animated feature Walt Disney saw through completion and indeed one of their greatest and most interesting.
Surprisingly faithful adaption of TH White's fantasy book (2006-01-19) I really loved TH White's (1938) book 'The sword in the stone' when I read at 12 in the 1960's. Actually the Amazon review above is slightly in error 'The once and future king' is the title of the combined tetrology based on the legendary life of King Arthur, where the original 'Sword in the Stone' book was revised and edited (somewhat badly). The Sword in the Stone is therefore the first book in the series and covers Arthur's life as a youth. For the rest of the Arthurian legend you have to read the next three or four books. That is why this Disney film only covers Arthur's boyhood, and finishes with Arthur standing by 'The sword in the stone'. For this reason the book is filled with the hope and trials of youth and is thus far more jolly than most of King Arthur's adult life (at least when viewed from an adults perspective).This film (and the book) follow Arthur's eventual rise from being second fiddle to his older step-brother Kay, who is clearly dad's favourite - his dad, Sir Hector, even calls Arthur 'the Wart'. Not that Sir Hector isn't very fond of Arthur, it just reflects Arthur's lowly but highly protected status of being a young boy. It is therefore a coming of age story, and I think any boy from 8 up would strongly identify with the Wart. Soon into the story the magician Merlin arrives and instructs the Wart using magic to illustrate points, even transforming them both into many things from birds and fish to trees and stones. This is all followed fairly faithfully by the film (although the more mystical tree and stone sequences were sadly cut out). Living his life 'backwards' Merlin naturally has the edge on other mortals when it comes to prophesy, although 'the future' in-jokes in the film do intrude somewhat. The film is also more jocular than the satirical and witty book, ignoring it's portrayal of the grittier realism of medieval life, like the young boy who has his nose bitten off by a man similarly afflicted who he was taunting. TH White manages to merge aspects of the twentieth century seamlessly into the tale, just as the Mallory's 'Morte de Arthur' originally combined the Saxon descriptions of the great warrior King Arthur with 'modern' medieval concepts like chivalry and knighthood [to create the Arthurian legend we now know]. In many respects the clearly Roman educated and Christian Arthur has been confused by the pagan Saxons with Jesus, hence 'The once and future king' aspects of the legend. In the film, the battle with the witch (Madam Mim) who the Wart encounters in the forest, is far more central to the plot, and Disney can't resist adding the odd, rather good, song sequence. The uplifting end (removing Excalibur from the stone) is naturally retained, finishing the story on a high note with the 'Wart' triumphant. This was the 18th Disney animated film, from 1963, and the film has been fully restored for DVD with 5.1 sound added. Also included are: a short cartoon, a 'sword in the stone' scrapbook & two fun sing-a-longs of the films songs, plus a Music Magic Featurette [and the usual few minutes of annoying adverts for other Disney DVDs]. So all in all, a highly recommended medieval based 'fantasy' cartoon film for pre-teen boys. If you like this film, do get the original book - it's an easy read for 10 and over.
My favourite Disney film (2005-12-17) I have an extensive Disney collection, and "The Sword in The Stone" is- in my opinion- by far the best. The graphics are "old school", the songs are fantastic, the characters have so much personality, the story has some great twists and turns, and the script is witty and memorable. It is a lovely adaptation of the King Arthur story and very re-watchable. Those who try and compare it to other "modern" Disney movies really shouldn't; as brilliant as modern day computer graphics are, this often overlooked gem shines through by virtue of its content. This is original Disney at its most magical.
A Masterpiece (2005-03-14) When i was growing up, the sword and the stone was my favourite disney film. The combination of music and laughter made it superb. although people may say it wasnt a classic, in my eyes it was.
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