From Walt Disney Home Entertainment:
Disney's The Sword in the Stone is based on T.S. White's immortal novel The Once and Future King. Embark on an adventure-filled quest for an unlikely hero! According to legend, only someone with honor, decency
and inner strength can claim the throne of England-by pulling out the enchanted sword that lies locked in a
massive stone. Many brave knights have tried, so it seems impossible that a young apprentice known as Wart could
succeed. But with the guidance of the wizard Merlin, help from some hilarious friends and true strength of character,
Wart just might become England's greatest king.
The Sword in the Stone Voice Cast List
Sebastian Cabot
Karl Swenson
Rickie Sorensen
Junius Matthews
Ginny Tyler
Martha Wentworth
Norman Alden
Alan Napier
... Sir Ector / Narrator
... Merlin
... Arthur 'Wart'
... Archimedes
... Little Girl Squirrel
... Granny Squirrel / Madam Mim
... Kay
... Sir Pelinore
The Sword in the Stone released in 1963 falls chronologically between 101 Dalmatians and The Jungle Book. Unfortunetly, it falls well short of either of those animated films. Nevertheless, it's still a Disney classic although it doesn't feel like it really capitalizes on the source material of the Arthurian Legend. Rather, that only really seems to bookend the film. The bulk of the film is a straight pupil-teacher story. Only since Merlin is a wizard, this means the school lesson rely heavily on magic and sorcery. This does allow the film to move through several different environments and make heavy use of the whimsy that the magic allows. This treatment does give the film the structure of several adventures and less like one full-length feature. For those who love the classic Disney animated films, The Sword in the Stone is well-worth adding to your collection.
The DVD:
The 45th Anniversary Special Edition DVD includes the familiar extras. Music & More includes a Song Selection that skips to the various songs within the film. The other Music & More feature has the Sherman Brothers talking about their efforts on the film, which was their first after being hired by Disney. The one Games & Activities feature is an interactive game that we had trouble getting through, but it appeared to have six levels with various challenges. The Backstage Disney features include an excerpt from "All About Magic," a Magical World of Disney presentation hosted by Walt Disney as well as two short slide presentations with galleries and film facts. The last extras are two shorts, one featuring Goofy and another featuring Mickey Mouse. The extras are a pretty slim, but welcome addition to the DVD. We're assuming that the more in-depth extras will appear on the inevitable Platinum Edition release.
The Sword in the Stone DVD Extras:
- Music & More - Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers [7:30]
- Music & More - Disney Song Selection
- Games & Activities - Merlin's Magical Academy Game
- Backstage Disney - "All About Magic" (Excerpt) [10:00]
- Backstage Disney - The Sword in the Stone Scrapbook: An exclusive behind-the-scenes interactive program featuring still-frame galleries and film facts.
- Backstage Disney - Film Facts
- Bonus Shorts: A Knight For a Day [7:00]
- Bonus Shorts: The Brave Little Tailor [9:00]
