The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition)
by Wolfgang Reitherman
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DVD details
Actor: Alan Napier, Junius Matthews, Norman Alden, Sebastian Cabot, The Mello MenDirector: Wolfgang Reitherman
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 79 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-17
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- In London, during medieval times, there was a large stone with a heavy sword imbedded in it. The man who could pull the sword from the stone would become king of England, but no man, despite his strength, was able to complete the deed. However, when a young lad named Wart appears, he just might be able to pull off the impossible. Thisic Disney feature, based on the children's book by T.H.
DVD Reviews of The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition)
DVD Review: Pretty Good Entertainment
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Sword in the Stone" is a nice little Disney picture. Animated and only 79 minutes long, it is ... just right ... for those of us whose attention spans are easily challenged.
This movie is adapted from a book of the same title (written by T.H. White). Mr. White's book follows the early life of a famous British folklore hero, King Arthur (a legendary monarch of the 6th century). Bill Peet, the Disney story writer who wrote the adaptation, took the book and picked this, chose that, and changed this a little, and, in the end, did an outstanding job of producing a screen play that is funny and enjoyable.
According to the story, a sword is magically thrust deep into an anvil that sits on top of a large stone. It is decreed (on the sword itself) that who-so-ever is able to remove the sword from the stone shall be anointed king of England. Many men try ... but they all fail. Then, after a long time has passed, a youth named Arthur appears on the scene and, miraculously, he pulls the sword from the stone ... and then is made ruler over all of England.
The story also includes another legendary character ... Merlin the magician. Merlin is wise, powerful ... and dotty. He foresees the arrival of the twelve year old Arthur and he feels that it is fore-ordained for him, Merlin, to be the boy's teacher/mentor/companion to guide the lad toward some mysterious destiny.
Merlin, Arthur, and Merlin's pet owl Archimedes (who can talk) then embark on three magical adventures ... afterwhich the movie moves swiftly to the dramatic moment of Arthur and the sword.
The writing for "The Sword in the Stone" is good. No trouble is too serious or too scary and the trouble scenes are never drawn out. The bad guys (and bad creatures) are never allowed to win too much and our heroes are never allowed to lose too much. The importance of education is emphasized, but not over-emphasized. The story moves along at a comfortable pace, and all the scenes are believable ... in-as-much-as the behavior and reactions of the characters are plausible and credible. And there is a delicate charm and some depth of goodness in there too. Incidentally, Merlin is given some pretty good lines to speak, and the squirrel scene is delightful.
The voice characterizations in "The Sword in the Stone" are very good. Karl Swenson provides the voice of Merlin, and he is wonderful. Junius Matthews does the voice for Archimedes the owl, and he is superb also. But the portrayals of the bad guys (often considered plum roles by actors and actresses; ones that they relish playing) in "The Sword in the Stone" are also done exceptionally well and they add a great deal of strength to the movie. Sebastian Cabot provides the voice for Arthur's boisterous and self-important master Sir Ector ... and this would be the refined, articulate, and dignified Sebastian Cabot ... and he is very convincing as the crass and uncouth Ector. Norman Alden uses his voice talents to portray Sir Ector's son Kay, and he also does an excellent job. Kay is an ill-mannered oaf, but after watching "The Sword in the Stone" a few times you begin to appreciate the good job Alden does ... with a minimum of lines ... in making this crude and rude character come to life. Martha Wentworth does the voice of the evil Madame Mim ... and she is a real treat. Madame Mim absolutely delights in the macabre, and Wentworth seems to have absolutely delighted in playing her.
All in all, "The Sword in the Stone" gives us some pretty good entertainment and is deserving of repeated viewings.
DVD Review: A Disney Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Great for you kids. My boy loves the movie, and you'll probably get a more positive message from this type of movies, other than modern kids moviesDVD Review: Childrens favorite video, now grandchildren's favorite!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was so glad to see the Sword in the Stone Anniversary edition available, I had missed it when it sold in the stores and my 4 year old grand-daughter fell in love with it...now when she comes to Grandma's house, she picks out that movie to watch, just like her mommy!!DVD Review: The ending could have been better
Summary: 4 Stars
The Sword in the Stone is one hour and nineteen minute long and made its movie debut on December 25, 1963. The movie tells the story of a young boy named Arthur who would become future king of all England. The movie opens with the death of King Uther Pendragon dies and leaving no heir to the throne. There is a Sword in the Stone in London with the inscription the reads "that whoever pulls it out is the rightful King of England." Many men tried to pull the sword but failed. The sword is left there for years and forgotten. Fast forward to a number of years and Kay and Arthur (also known as Wart), who are foster brother, are on a hunting trip in the woods. Arthur causes Kay to miss the deer he was going to kill. Kay winds up shooting the arrow into the woods. Kay is angry with Wart and gives chase. Wart runs into the woods to retrieve Kay's arrow. Arthur finds Kay's arrow in a tree and when he tries to retrieves it falls through a hay roof and lands in Merlin's home. Merlin is tells Arthur that he has a great future ahead and takes it upon himself to tutor the young boy. The two head to Arthur's foster father home and at first Ector refuse to let Merlin stay. After Merlin causes a blizzard in the summer, Ector relents and gives him the guest quarters. Merlin and Archimedes (Merlin's talking and educated owl companion) would be the two who would educate the two. One day while Wart, Merlin and Archimedes are taking a walk around the castle, Merlin turns Wart into a fish as well as himself so they both can explore what lies beneath lake. Merlin teaches Wart how to swim like a fish and during the learning period they come across a pike fish (a fish with teeth). Merlin gets caught in a helmet and is unable to come to the boy's rescue. Arthur has to defend for himself and at one point is able to trap the pike. It is Archimedes who saves Arthur and Merlin emerges from the moat as a human and changes Arthur back into a boy. When Arthur tries to tell Ector and Kay what he has experience but the both don't what Arthur is saying. Ector gives him six demerits and sends Wart to the kitchen for cleaning duties to work off the demerits. Later that day Merlin appears and asks Arthur if he would like to be a squirrel. Arthur would like to but tells Merlin he can't because he has to work off his demerits. Merlin cast a spell in the kitchen so the dishes can clean themselves and the two head out to the woods to become squirrels. They both encounter the opposite sex and try to shake them off. While trying to escape from the female squirrel, Arthur gets his tail stuck in a branch and a wolf heads after Arthur. The female squirrel comes to the rescue and the wolf falls into a river below the cliff. Both Merlin and Arthur become human again and the female leave crying. When Arthur arrives back at the castle back at the castle Ector accuses Merlin of using black magic to wash the dishes and Merlin vanish into thin air. Arthur defends Merlin but Ector punish the boy and tells Kay that a new squire is going to London with him. Later that evening Merlin appears and tells Arthur that he is sorry but things can only look up and that starting tomorrow his education will begin. At Merlin's quarters, it is discovered that Arthur can't read or write and Archimedes winds up teaching the boy to read and write. During spelling lesson Merlin tries to fly a model airplane but his long beard causes the plain to crash. Archimedes is beside himself with laughter and Arthur looks out the window and wonders what it is like to fly. Merlin turns Arthur into sparrow and Merlin and Archimedes quarrel over who would be a better teacher to teach Arthur how to fly. Archimedes wins the debate and during the course of his lesson a giant hawk gives chase to those two. Arthur falls down a chimney shaft while trying to escape from the hawk. Arthur winds up at Mad Madam Mim's cottage. Mim find that Merlin has an interest in the boy and that is bad in her mind. It is during this time that Archimedes flies back to alert Merlin on what has happen to the boy. Just as Mim was about to eat Arthur, Merlin arrives to rescue the boy. Mim challenges Merlin to a Wizard's Duel. During the duel Mim cheats and turns into a dragon and captures Merlin. It is Merlin who has the laugh last. Merlin turns himself into a rare germ that makes Mim breaks out into spots and suffers from hot and cold flashes. Merlin wins the duel and the trio head back to the castle. It is late winter and the boy who replaces Arthur as Kay's squire comes down with the mumps. Ector tells Arthur that he is now Kay's squire. Arthur rushes to tell Merlin about the news, but is so upset with Wart that he accidently shoots himself to 20th century Bermuda. At the tournament Arthur tells Kay that he left his sword at the inn. Arthur heads back to the inn to get Kay's sword, but the in is lock. Archimedes sees a sword in a stone and pulls it out of the anvil. Arthur heads back to the tournament to give Kay the sword. Kay realizes it is not his sword and Ector realizes it is the Sword in the Stone. Ector asks Wart where he got the sword and Wart tries to explain. The crowd head back to the place where the sword came from. Ector puts the sword back into the anvil and just as Wart is about to pull the sword Kay pushes him aside and tries to pull it out himself. Several other men gather around to try to pull the sword but fail in their attempts. It is Sir Bart says let give the boy a try. Wart goes to the stone and pulls the sword from it. Sir Bart asks for the boy names and tells him it is Arthur. Sir Bart yells "Hail!! King Arthur!!" In the closing scene Arthur convinces himself that he is not ready to be king and tries to escape but is unable to. Arthur cries out for Merlin and Merlin enters the movie again saying the 20th century is a mess and they can have it. Archimedes tells Merlin the Arthur has pulled the sword from the stone and he is now king of all England. The films end with Merlin telling Arthur's future and his Knights of the Round Table and the picture fades with Merlin trying straightening a crown that is too big for Arthur. This movie would be the last movie release when Walt Disney was alive. Walt would be involved with the Jungle Book but died a few days before it release. Overall the movie is good but I just thought the ending could have been better. The Sword in the Stone gets a B+.
Chapter Selection
Bonus Features
A) The Sword in the Stone-Scrapbook
B) Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers
C) Higitus Figitus-Sing-Along Song
D) That's What Makes the World Go Round-Sing-Along Song
E) Film Facts
F) All About the Magic-Original Walt Disney TV Show
G) Knight For A Day-Goofy Animated Short
H) Brave Little Tailor-Mickey Mouse Animated Short
Sneak Peeks
A) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
B) The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
C) 102 Dalmatians
D) The Emperor's New Groove
Set Up
Play
DVD Review: Great movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Loved this movie as a kid and bought it for some younger brothers. Its nice to see the next genertation still like the classic disney films.
Description of The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition)
UPC:786936761627DESCRIPTION: Humor, spectacle and magic rule in Walt Disney s legendary classic tale The Sword In The Stone now celebrating its 45th Anniversary with exciting new bonus features!
Embark on an adventure-filled quest for an unlikely hero! According to legend, only someone with honor, decency and inner strength can claim the throne of England by pulling out the enchanted sword that lies locked in a massive stone. Many brave knights have tried, so it seems impossible that a young apprentice known as Wart could succeed. But with the guidance of the wizard Merlin, help from some hilarious friends and true strength of character, Wart just might become England s greatest king.
There s even more wizardry fun with marvelous new bonus features including the all-new Merlin s Magical Academy game, animated shorts, Disney s song selection and much more! The Sword In The Stone: 45th Anniversary Special Edition DVD is a magical experience your whole family will want to share again and again!
END
Based upon T.H. White's beloved novel, this Disney-fied version chronicles the tutoring of the Once and Future King, Arthur, as handled by the magician Merlin. Sword was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upbraiding storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. But there's much to enjoy here as Merlin shows Newt, the young Arthur, things that will help him become the 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 the mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it belies the problem with most of the film--the scenes are only there for the chuckles. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Children will like it, but they won't cherish it. --Keith Simanton
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