The Sword in the Stone (film)

Plot

After the King of England, Uther Pendragon, dies, leaving no heir to the throne, 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 can remove 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 Arthurs tutor and returns with the boy to his home, a castle run by Sir Ector, Arthurs foster father. Ectors friend, Sir Pellinore, arrives with news that the annual jousting tournament will be held on New Years 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 Kays 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, Merlins 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. During their trip, two female squirrels fall in love with them. Arthur is nearly eaten by a wolf, but is saved by the female squirrel before Merlin returns them to human form. While Merlins pursuer is first scared then angry at this, Arthurs pursuer is heartbroken. When Merlin and Arthur return to the castle, 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, Merlins knowledge of future history causes confusion, prompting Merlin to appoint Archimedes as Arthurs 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 Mims chimney. Mims magic uses trickery, as opposed to Merlins scientific skill. Merlin arrives to rescue Arthur just as Mim is about to destroy him. She then challenges Merlin to a Wizards Duel. Despite Mims cheating, Merlin outsmarts her by transforming into a germ called "Malignalitaloptereosis" that infects her with a chickenpox-like disease, effectively defeating her and illustrating the importance of knowledge over strength.

On Christmas Eve, Kay is knighted, but Hobbs comes down with the mumps, forcing Ector to reinstate Arthur as Kays squire. Merlin, however, is 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 Kays 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. Sir Pellinore and another knight, Sir Bart, stand up for Arthur and encourage him to try it again. He does and once again removes the sword, revealing that he is Englands 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

Production

In 1939, Walt Disney first obtained the film rights to T. H. Whites The Sword in the Stone, and the initial storyboards were produced in 1949. When work on One Hundred and One Dalmatians was completed in 1960, two projects were in development, which were Chanticleer and The Sword in the Stone. The former was developed by Ken Anderson and Marc Davis who aimed to produce a feature animated film in a more contemporary setting. Both of them had visited the Disney archives, and decided to adapt the satirical tale into production upon glancing at earlier conceptions dating back to the 1940s. Anderson, Davis, Milt Kahl, and director Wolfgang Reitherman spent months preparing elaborate storyboards for Chanticleer, and following a silent response following a story reel presentation, a voice from the back of the room said, "You cant make a personality out of a chicken!" The voice belonged to Bill Peet. When the time came to approve one of the two projects, Walt replied to Andersons pitch with "Just one word—shit!" Meanwhile, work on The Sword in the Stone were solely done by veteran story artist Bill Peet. After Disney had seen the 1960 Broadway production of Camelot, he approved the project to enter production. Ollie Johnston stated, "[Kahl] got furious with Bill for not pushing Chanticleer after all the work he had put in on it. He said, I can draw a damn fine rooster, you know. Bill said, So can I." Peet recalled "how humiliated they were to accept defeat and give in to The Sword in the Stone...He allowed to have their own way, and they let him down. They never understood that I wasnt trying to compete with them, just trying to do what I wanted to work. I was the midst of all this competition, and with Walt to please, too."

Writing in his autobiography, Peet decided to write a screenplay before producing storyboards, though he found the narrative "complicated, with the Arthurian legend woven into a mixture of other legends and myths" and finding a direct storyline required "sifting and sorting". After Walt received the first screenplay draft, he told Peet that it should have more substance. On his second draft, Peet lengthened it by enlarging on the more dramatic aspects of the story, in which Walt approved of through a call from Palm Springs, Florida.

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

Other media

Several characters from the film made frequent appearances in the Disneys 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 Mickeys 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 Disneys 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. In 2014 and 2015, UK health directive Change4Life incorporated "Higitus Figitus" as the soundtrack to adverts promoting their Disney-sponsored "10 minute shake up" summer 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 Schafer, and Katja Schafer. 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 Cinderellas 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 books 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 Soras memories. In Kingdom Hearts II, Merlin moved to Hollow Bastion to aid Leons group as part of the town Restoration Committee, though he is at odds with Cid who prefers his own computer expertise rather than Merlins 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 Castles past (Timeless River) for the trio to explore and stop Maleficent and Petes 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.

Live action film adaptation

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney are developing a live action film version of The Sword in the Stone with Bryan Cogman writing and Brigham Taylor producing.