The Sword in the Stone (film)

The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on December 25, 1963 by Buena Vista Distribution. The 18th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the final Disney animated film released before Walt Disney's death. The songs in the film were written and composed by the Sherman Brothers, who later wrote music for other Disney films like Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).

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

Plot
The King of England, Uther Pendragon, dies, leaving no heir to the throne. Soon afterwards, a sword appears inside an anvil in London. The sword bears an inscription proclaiming that whoever removes it will be the new king. No one removes the sword, which is eventually forgotten, leaving England in the Dark Ages.

Years later, a 12-year-old orphan named Arthur, commonly called Wart, accidentally scares off a deer his foster brother Kay was hunting, causing Kay to launch his arrow into the forest. In retrieving the arrow, Arthur lands in the cottage of Merlin the wizard, who declares himself Arthur's tutor and returns with the boy to his home, a castle run by Sir Ector, Arthur's foster father. Ector's friend, Sir Pellinore, arrives with news that the annual jousting tournament will be held on New Year's Day in London, and the winner will be crowned king. Ector decides to put Kay through serious training for the tournament and appoints Arthur as Kay's squire.

In order to educate Arthur, Merlin transforms the boy and himself into fish. They swim in the castle moat in order to learn about physics. Arthur is attacked by a pike but is saved by Archimedes, Merlin's pet owl. Arthur is sent to the kitchen as punishment for trying to relate his lesson to a disbelieving Ector. Merlin enchants the dishes to wash themselves, then takes Arthur for another lesson, turning them into squirrels to learn about gravity. Arthur is nearly eaten by a wolf, but is saved by a female squirrel that falls in love with him. After they return to human form, Ector accuses Merlin of using black magic on the dishes. Arthur defiantly defends Merlin, but Ector refuses to listen and punishes Arthur by giving Kay another squire, Hobbs.

Resolving to make amends, Merlin plans on educating Arthur full-time. However, Merlin's knowledge of future history causes confusion, prompting Merlin to appoint Archimedes as Arthur's teacher. When Arthur imagines what it would be like to fly, Merlin transforms him into a sparrow and Archimedes teaches Arthur how to fly. However, during their lesson Arthur is attacked by a hawk and falls into the witch Madam Mim's chimney. Mim's magic uses trickery, as opposed to Merlin's scientific skill. Merlin arrives to rescue Arthur just as Mim is about to destroy him. She then challenges Merlin to a Wizards' Duel. Despite Mim's cheating, Merlin outsmarts her by transforming into a germ that infects her with a Chickenpox-like disease illustrating that knowledge is more important than strength.

On Christmas Eve, Kay is knighted, but Hobbs comes down with the mumps, forcing Ector to reinstate Arthur as Kay's squire. Merlin, however, is disappointed and angry that Arthur again is choosing being a squire over being educated. When Arthur tries to reason with the wizard, Merlin angrily launches himself to Bermuda. On the day of the tournament, Arthur realizes that he has left Kay's sword at an inn, which is now closed for the tournament. Archimedes sees the Sword in the stone, which Arthur removes almost effortlessly, unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy. When Arthur returns with the sword, Ector recognizes it as the legendary "Sword in the Stone" and the tournament is halted. Demanding Arthur to prove that he pulled it, Ector replaces the sword in its anvil. Thinking anyone can pull the sword now, Kay and others try to retrieve the sword, but it appears as stuck as ever. As another knight declares this to be unfair Pellinore urges the crowd to allow Arthur to try it again, and once again he removes the sword, revealing that he is England's new king.

Arthur, crowned king, sits in the throne room with Archimedes, feeling unprepared to take the responsibility of royalty. Overwhelmed by the cheering crowd outside, Arthur calls out to Merlin for help, who returns from Bermuda (and 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 history and even in motion pictures.

Cast and characters

 * Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman and Robert Reitherman as Arthur, also known as Wart. He is Disney's adaptation of legendary British leader King Arthur. Arthur was voiced by three actors, leading to noticeable changes in voice between scenes. Also, the three voices have Brooklyn-esque accents, sharply contrasting with the English setting and the accents spoken by all other characters in the film.
 * Karl Swenson as Merlin, the legendary wizard who aids and educates Arthur. Merlin was animated by several of Disney's Nine Old Men, including Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and John Lounsbery. Kahl designed the character, refining the storyboard sketches of Bill Peet. Merlin can be recognized by his massive beard, which gets caught in most of his machines, and a pair of glasses he wears. He is the world's most powerful wizard.
 * Junius Matthews as Archimedes, Merlin's crotchety, yet highly educated pet owl, who has the ability of speaking and is the comic relief of the film. Archimedes accompanies Arthur during training, and it is he who alerts Merlin after Arthur falls into Madam Mim's cottage and she almost kills him. Archimedes stays with Arthur while Merlin travels to 20th-century Bermuda.
 * 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 before him, thus allowing the wizard to educate Arthur in the castle, even though Ector has forbidden it. Though he loves Arthur, Ector often treats him harshly. Cabot also provides the brief narration at the beginning and end of the film.
 * Norman Alden as Sir Kay, the older foster brother of Arthur. He is inept at jousting and sword fighting. Though he loves Arthur, he often treats him with contempt.
 * Martha Wentworth as Madam Mim, a black witch and Merlin's nemesis. She was animated by two of Disney's legendary Nine Old Men, Milt Kahl (who designed the character, refining storyboard sketches from Bill Peet), and Frank Thomas. Kahl animated her initial interaction with Arthur, while Thomas oversaw her part of the Wizards' Duel with Merlin. Wentworth also voiced the Granny Squirrel, a dim-witted, elderly female squirrel that develops an attraction to Merlin.
 * Alan Napier as Sir Pellinore, a friend of Sir Ector who announces the tournament where 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 that wants to eat Wart. He was defeated 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 that 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 as the screen fades to black.
 * Barbara Jo Allen as Scullery Maid

Reception
The Sword in the Stone was a financial success at the box office and became the sixth highest grossing film of 1963. It grossed $22,182,353 in North America, earning estimated theatrical rentals of $4.75 million. However, it received mixed reviews from critics, who thought it had too much humor and a "thin narrative". Rotten Tomatoes reports that 71% of critics gave positive reviews based on 24 reviews with an average score of 6/10. 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 not being 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 by Merlin and Arthur)
 * "A Most Befuddling Thing" (Sung by Merlin)
 * "Mad Madam Mim" (Sung by Mim)
 * "Blue Oak Tree" (Ending of the song, sung by Sir Ector and Sir Pellinore; beginning of the song deleted)
 * "The Magic Key" (Deleted song)
 * "The Sand of Time" (Deleted score)

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 notable appearance 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 a villain 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 in 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. The song "Higitus Figitus" has most recently been used for Change4Life's latest advert promoting their Disney-associated "10 minute shake up" program.

Comics


Madam Mim was adopted into the Duck universe where she sometimes teams with Magica De Spell and/or the Beagle Boys. She also appeared in the Mickey Mouse universe where she teamed with Black Pete on occasion and 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 lost her truly evil streak, and appears morbid yet 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 the 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 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 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 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 in Radiant Garden.