The Sword in the Stone

Rating:
Summary: A Worthwhile Addition To The Arthurian Tradition!
Review: Although aimed at children, anyone interested in King Arthur and his legend will enjoy this spectacular tale. When young Wart (Arthur) meets the wizard Merlin, he begins to learn what it's like to be a king...when he meets the Mad Madam Mim, he almost learns what it's like to be dinner. The only let-down is the inconsistency in Arthur's voice - at least 2 actors played the part - one of whom sounds far more Californian than old English.

Rating:
Summary: A much overlooked animated gem!
Review:
Sometime in the medieval ages, there is a legend about this magic stone that contains a sword and according to the legend, who so pulls out the sword from the anvil shall become king of all England. Though many tried to pull it, no miracle and the sword was forgotten for ages in an age of no laws, brutality and darkness in just which magician Merlin has trouble with the days of no kings, he then meets a young squire named "Wart" ( a.k.a. Arthur) whom is a problemic young man with a mean foster father and big foster brother, Merlin then trains Wart through education in order to become more social and on adventures that will lead him to pull the sword out of the stone.

An underrated disney classic that is a delightful story with good animation for it's time, nice songs like "Higitus Figitus" and humor makes this a definite must have for the animation DVD collector everywhere.

The DVD has some great extras like two cartoons, Behind the songs with a deleted song that never made it into the film, still frame galleries, All Abou the Magic 1957 episode or "Walt Disney Presents", Film-facts, sing-alongs and great remastering with good sound quality.

Rating:
Summary: Lesser known, but no less delightful Disney classic!
Review: Loosely based on the Arthurian legends, and particularly the series of books by T.H. White, "The Sword in the Stone" introduces us to Arthur as a scrawny, towheaded little boy, about eleven years old. There is a prophecy that whoever can pull a magical sword out of the stone in which it is embedded will be the next King of England, but young Arthur, an uneducated servant and squire to his dim-witted and brutish foster brother Kay, an aspiring knight, is a long way from fulfilling his destiny. In the meantime, he finds himself under the tutelage of Merlin the Wizard, who attempts to fill his head with the knowledge that he will need to reach his potential.

Disney has turned this legend into a comically delightful little tale, with a cast full of terrific characters. Merlin is a bit absent-minded and rather eccentric, but finds fun and innovative ways to teach young Arthur the lessons of life, including temporary transformations into a fish, a squirrel, and a bird. Also memorable is his owl, Archimedes, a stodgy little ball of feathers that you can't help but love. And the movie is not devoid of memorable villains, either, from the dull and oafish Kay, to the persistent but consistently unsuccessful wolf that stalks Arthur through the woods, to the "magnificent, marvelous, mad" Madame Mim, the gleefully evil witch who is Merlin's nemesis. One of my favorite sequences is the Wizards' Duel between Merlin and Mim.

I have always been a little surprised that this film isn't more well-known amongst the Disney classics. It was probably my favorite as a child, and was only bumped out of the number one spot when "Aladdin" made it's debut in 1992. But it still holds a very special place in my heart, and I'm thrilled to now own it on DVD, remastered and more wonderful than ever. Made in 1963, the animation has the older, sketchier "classic" Disney look, which I tend to prefer over the sleek new style, and the colors in this remastered version are rich and lively. The songs are all very catchy, often with delightfully humorous lyrics.

The DVD comes with an abundance of great Special Features. There is a Scrap Book with concept art and movie posters, a "Music Magic" featurette with the Sherman brothers that includes two songs that were never put in the movie, sing alongs of "Higitus Figitus" and "That's What Makes the World Go 'Round," a brief but interesting section of Film Facts, a 1957 TV show "All About Magic" hosted by Walt Disney, and two animated shorts - "Knight for a Day" starring Goofy, and "Brave Little Tailor" starring Mickey Mouse. All in all, this DVD is really a must for the collection of any Disney enthusiast, young or old.

Rating:
Summary: Underrated, but one of the best
Review: I didn't realize this movie was so old. I thought it was made in the 80's. Maybe because the way Merlin looks at the end when he returns from Bermuda. It looks pretty 80's to me. Regardless, it's one of my favorite Disney movies. Yes, it is underrated. My favorite scene is when the Archmedes the Owl is laughing after Merlin's plane gets tangled in his beard and falls into the water. I also love the scene with Kay getting mopped up in the "black magic" dish washing scene. I can go on and on. I'm almost 30 years old now and I cherish it just as much as when I was a kid. Buy it for yourself or for your children! You won't regret it!

Rating:
Summary: That was that what I've expected
Review: In one sentence: the movie and all of the add-ons on the DVD was just GREAT, especially for a friend of mine (it was a Christmas gift for her :-) ).

Rating:
Summary: Remastered! Colors unseen for years jump out at you!
Review: This fully restored and remastered dvd is worth. And that is the whole key to 'old' Disney movies on dvd - whether they've been remastered. This has and it's wonderful to look at. A stone wall has the original pinks and blues as clear and crisp as day. It ruly is like a new film.
And I'd take note of the other reviewer who informed us about the screen format actually being okay - and actually we're getting more of the picture we never saw before at the top and bottom.
I would recommend waiting for the 'old' Disney films to be remastered like this one before you get the dvd's.
Plus included in the extras:
an insightful (and candid) interview with the composers;
a lot of artwork and what seems to be all the posters ever produced;
As I say, it's so worth it for this restored version of a relaxing, olde-England, very Sixties, rather mellow Disney film - and the character design being pre-1977 is 'real' Disney!


Rating:
Summary: Wont Cherish It?
Review: I'm 19 years old and still love this movie. Get it. It's fun! Merlin is the man

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Disney Film that is sometimes overlooked.
Review: This may not be as iconic as some of the other films that the Walt Disney company has made, but it is definately a classic. This gives us a more lighter whimsical look on Camelot. The voice talents are great. The animation is in the classic 60s style that Disney was into at the time. The whole movie is fun. See it, it is not a masterpiece landmark of an animated film but very very good indeed.

Rating:
Summary: My #2 Favorite Disney Movie!
Review: Disney's The Sword in the Stone is a cute movie. It was made a couple of years before I was born but I did see it when I was a teenager when Disney brought it back out for a release in movie theaters in the 80's and I thought it was a good movie and I recommend it!