Sword in the Stone

UPC: 786936761627

Studio: Walt Disney Video

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Child Classic]

Summary: 1963's The Sword in the Stone is Disney's animated take on Arthurian legend. In the midst of the Dark Ages, when England has no rightful ruler, a sword imbedded in a stone mysteriously appears in a London churchyard, bearing the inscription "Whoso pulleth out the sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of England." Scores of would-be kings travel to London to attempt the feat and thereby claim the throne. They all fail. Years later, in the English countryside, an 11-year-old squire nicknamed Wart (Rickie Sorensen) is devotedly helping his incompetent foster brother, Kay (Norman Alden), train to become a knight, when he meets the great magician Merlin (Karl Swenson). The well meaning, but absentminded, wizard declares himself Wart's mentor and claims that he will lead the boy to his destiny. Spirited and full of spunk, Wart (whose real name is Arthur) approaches Merlin's lessons with the same determination that he applies to Kay's hopeless training and to the monotonous chores he is assigned by his guardian. He soon finds himself accompanying Kay to London for a jousting tournament that will determine England's new king. There, Wart forgets to bring Kay's weapon to the joust, but finds an abandoned sword in a nearby churchyard -- which he effortlessly pulls out of a stone. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

Category: Historical Film

Awards: Best Adapted Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: New! Merlin's magical academy game
Bonus movie shorts
Disney song selection
Music magic: The Sherman Brothers

Sword in the Stone

Format: DVD

Release Date: 06/17/2008

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 79 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French,Spanish,English

Subtitles: French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Sword in the Stone
1. Opening Credits
2. "The Legend of the Sword in the Stone"
3. Wart Drops in for Tea
4. "Higitus Figitus"
5. At Sir Ector's Castle
6. Big News From London
7. Magical Education for Wart
8. "That's What Makes the World Go Round"
9. A Medieval Assembly Line
10. "A Most Befudding Thing"
11. Meanwhile, Back at the Castle...
12. Archimedes Takes Over Wart's Education
13. Wart Tries His Wings
14. Madam Mim
15. The Duel of the Wizards
16. Wart Is Made a Squire
17. King Arthur

Aubry Anne D'Arminio

The Sword in the Stone is the first solo directorial effort of famed Disney animator Wolfgang Reithermann. The lackluster animation and unimpressive musical numbers disappointed audiences upon the film's initial opening, but its tale of a stout-hearted child destined for greatness proved timeless as it lured scores of Disney fans to theaters upon its several re-releases. Based on the first book of T.H. White's tome The Once and Future King, the film blurs Arthur's story, but makes the legend accessible to very young children. If the movie's animation is not up to par, the remarkable and eccentric characters well make up for it. The skinny, bowlegged Wart (Rickie Sorenson) is as much a hero as his predecessors, the wooden Pinocchio and the big-eared Dumbo. Moreover, Merlin's (Karl Swenson) skeptical sidekick, the scholarly owl Archimedes (Junius Matthews), as well as his wacky nemesis, the sorceress Mad Madam Mim (Martha Wentworth), make the film as colorful as any of its state-of-the-art cartoon counterparts. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Martha Wentworth  Actor 
Rickie Sorenson  Actor 
Sebastian Cabot  Actor 
Martha Wentworth  Actor 
The Mello Men  Actor 
Karl Swenson  Actor 
Norman Alden  Actor 
Martha Wentworth  Actor 
Alan Napier  Actor 
Junius Matthews  Actor 
Barbara Jo Allen  Actor 
George Bruns  Composer (Music Score) 
Bill Peet  Screenwriter 
Wolfgang Reitherman  Director 

Country: USA