Customer Reviews
Not a classic, but mildly entertaining 
2008-09-20
WARNING! Spoiler Alert - Am I the only one who feels sorry for that cute little female squirrel that becomes infatuated with the transformed young Arthur only to have her heart broken when he's turned human again? As silly as this may seem, this is the one reason why I do NOT like this film. Yes, there is a tough life lesson to be learned in this sequence and yes it is a testament to the effectiveness of Disney's storytelling and animation, but c'mon! Maybe the scene would've lost its poignancy if the story allowed for another male squirrel to be smitten with the heartbroken female, but ask yourself, would you have enjoyed "Dumbo" as much if his mom was never released from her cage? Apples to oranges, I know.
Anyway, other than my gripe about the aformentioned scene, I thought this was a fun movie overall. The animation is typical of Disney's high standards even though I thought the songs were a bit lackluster. Not in the same league as "Peter Pan" or "Alice In Wonderland," but not as bad as "The Black Cauldron" either.
If Disney ever does the smart thing and decides to start releasing traditionally animated features again, they should do right by that squirrel and get her a boyfriend!
Have always loved this movie 
2008-09-08
I bought this movie for my boys so we could have movie time with a movie I approved of. I watched it with my brothers when I was young and I wanted my boys to have those same great memories.
Liked it since I was a kid 2008-09-07
If you've always liked Disney Classics then this is a must have. The Sword in the Stone has and will always captivate the child in me.
Top shelf edition of bottom shelf Disney 2008-09-06
This is a wonderfully produced release of one of the weaker full-length films produced during Walt Disney's lifetime. I know that doesn't mesh with many of the reviews here, but I just find very little to enjoy in this particular film. There is no real story, with a particularly weak script by the usually marvelous Bill Peet (the most versatile individual from the Golden Age of Disney, sometimes designing characters, sometimes writing screenplays, sometimes directing). The film consists of a series of largely unconnected vignettes where Merlin is ostensibly educating the future King Arthur. I did not care for this film when I was a small child and I find that I haven't come to care for it as an adult.
On the other hand, I'm sure that many kids will get a huge blast out of this. One of my daughter's favorite Disney films as a small child was ROBIN HOOD, which is probably my least favorite Disney film ever.
Certainly this release makes the film look more beautiful than it ever has before for home viewing. This was one of the first films I watched on my new high def TV and I was just delighted with how vivid the colors were. As with most Disney rereleases there were also many interesting special features.
I would, however, only recommend this to someone who is a bit of a completist, dedicated to owning all of the Disney films on DVD. There are just so many other films that one ought to own first. Not counting collections of short subjects, there must be a solid fifteen to twenty DVDs that one would want to collect before this one. Still, I'm sure almost any kid will love it. I'm just not confident that most adults will.
Not Up To Your Standards? 2008-07-28
Maybe that's because it's a movie for little kids you twit.
I didn't intend to review this but I see all these jack*ffs slamming a children's cartoon and I just had to say something.
"What do you get when you mix TH White and Disney and BLAH BLAH DIDDLEY BLEH!"
Oh you witty rascal you.
Shut up. Just shut up.
Very happy tp add to my collection 2008-07-26
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....This classic Disney feature based on the children's book by T.H. White tells the story of Wart a young boy in medieval England who runs into the eccentric wizard Merlin. The sorcerer decides to give the boy an education and in the process the two have a series of magical adventures.System Requirements:Running Time: 79 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936761627 Manufacturer No: 05708000
Yay 2008-07-17
I love this movie, i am so glad that it is released again for Disney lovers everywhere
Much better than I once thought 2008-07-13
As other reviewers have duly noted, this film (first released in 1963) is based on the first of four parts of T.H. White's The Once and Future King (1958), focusing on Arthur's birth, childhood, and youth before he became king of England. The film has been reissued as a 45th anniversary edition. It features the well-selected voices of Sebastian Cabot (Sir Ector/Narrator), Karl Swenson (Merlin), Rickie Sorensen (Arthur/"Wart"), Junius Matthews (Archimedes), and Alan Napier (Sir Pelinore). Frankly, I was underwhelmed when I first saw it many years ago and had little patience with the antics. While seeing it again recently, I found the film much more entertaining and frequently charming.
In our family, a film's "acid test" for grandchildren is for them to want to see it again, immediately. After I watched it with several of the younger ones, they requested that but agreed, instead, to check out "Merlin's New Magical Academy Game," passing on the other bonus features. I would not rank The Sword in the Stone among the "classic" animated features produced by Disney (e.g. Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Pinocchio, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and Pixar (e.g. Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and WALL-E) as well as DreamWorks' Antz and Shrek. However, how many animation features do?
Perhaps there are other grandparents and parents who also saw The Sword in the Stone years ago, as did I, and are not inclined to have a copy available for children to see. I urge them to reconsider because it possesses a unique "magic" of its own. I think they will also enjoy the bonus features. Hopefully this reissued version will attract the interest and gain the appreciation the film clearly deserves.
3 1/2 Stars--Worth It For the Extras 
2008-07-13
Made in 1963 and based upon the 1938 story of the same name by Terence H. White, THE SWORD IN THE STONE was Disney's attempt to bring the legend of King Arthur under the Disney banner. The film begins with the wizard Merlin talking with his owl, Archimedes. Merlin is awaiting the arrival of a young boy who he wants to train and educate so he is prepared for his exciting future. The boy, nicknamed "Wart", literally falls through Merlin's roof. Merlin immediately begins Wart's education and returns with the boy to the castle where he resides as a squire for the son of his guardian.
THE SWORD IN THE STONE isn't as well known as many other Disney animated features. However, I remember watching the film on television as a child and there were a couple of scenes that stuck out in particular. The first was when Merlin turns himself and Arthur into squirrels. Arthur meets a young female squirrel and while trying to avoid her, causes her to fall in love with him. I'm not sure why, but I found that particular episode fascinating; what would you do if you could magically turn into an animal and a creature of the same species but of the opposite sex wanted to mate with you?
The second scene that stood out to me was the wizards duel between Merlin and the evil witch Mad Madam Mim. Merlin uses magic to help others while Mim uses magic for destruction and to hurt others. The duel is brought to a conclusion with some very creative thinking from Merlin.
Overall, though perhaps not as memorable, fascinating, or memorable as many other animated Disney films, THE SWORD IN THE STONE is an entertaining movie that families with little children can sit and watch together. It does stray from some of the more popular Arthur legends, but it may intrigue youngsters enough to cause them to investigate other Arthur stories. Also, the film is the first Disney animated feature with songs written by Richard and Robert Sherman.
Many Disney Platinum and Anniversary DVDs have been lacking in the extras department. There are actually some really good extras on this disc, especially considering THE SWORD IN THE STONE is a lesser-known Disney picture. There are two wonderful shorts on the disc. The first is "Knight for a Day". It features Goofy in a slightly different form as a medieval squire who has to take over when his knight "disappears" just before a joust. The second cartoon short on the disc is the classic "Brave Little Tailor". This short stars Mickey Mouse as a tailor who after a bit of misinterpretation is sent to slay a giant. If he's successful, the King has promised him riches beyond compare as well as the hand of his true love, Princess Minnie. I remember first reading this story in a volume of Disney storybooks as a child. It was one that stuck with me through the years and I fell in love with the short when I saw it on television years later. "Brave Little Tailor" also has a cameo by Pluto, but not in his now-familiar dog on four legs form.
In addition to these two great shorts, THE SWORD IN THE STONE 45th ANNIVERSARY DVD includes a featurette with the Sherman Brothers discussing and performing the two songs they wrote for the movie, but that were cut. Other extras include a song selection feature; a trivia game about the film entitled "Merlin's Magical Academy Game" that's surprisingly fun to play a few times; a clip of Walt Disney performing magic tricks; and a "making of" featurette.
Seriously? 
2008-07-12
What happens when you take Disney, the story of King Arthur before he pulls the sword, TH White, mix them together and make a movie?
A movie that sucks.
How did that happen?
By following the book.
The movie version of Sword in the Stone has a young Arthur meeting a goofy Merlin the Magician who gives life lessons while turning Arthur into various animals of various species with singing and dancing.
It's dull, dreary, not cute, and at 79 minutes, way too long. Yeah, Sword in the Stone follows the book, and that's great. It is good when movies follow the book, but sometimes what we get instead is nothing more than a silly children's movie rather than a decent telling of Arthur pulling the stone.
The Sword in the Stone is Disney-Lite and not nearly as good as it could or should be. Let me phrase that differently: The Sword in the Stone is not good, as it should have been.
There are special features on the disc. This is normally where I would talk about them, but special features only matter if the movie is worth seeing.
The Sword in the Stone is not.
