The Sword in the Stone: Amazon.ca: Rickie Sorensen, Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews, Ginny Tyler, Martha Wentworth, Norman Alden, Alan Napier, Richard Reitherman, Robert Reitherman, Barbara Jo Allen, James MacDonald, Les Perkins, Wolfgang Reitherman, Clare Baren, Ivan Hall, Jeff Kurtti, Bill Peet, T.H. White: DVD

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Based upon T.H. White's beloved novel, this Disney-fied version chronicles the tutoring of the Once and Future King, Arthur, as handled by the magician Merlin. Sword was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upbraiding storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. But there's much to enjoy here as Merlin shows Newt, the young Arthur, things that will help him become the ruler of the Britons. The transformation sequences, where the boy is turned into a fish, a bird, and a squirrel are vintage Disney. The oft-repeated scene of Merlin battling it out with the mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it belies the problem with most of the film--the scenes are only there for the chuckles. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Children will like it, but they won't cherish it. --Keith Simanton

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

classic sword and sorcery(1)

Customer Reviews

47 Reviews

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (47 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars THE STORY OF ARTHUR BEFORE HE BECAME KING..., Jun 22 2008

By

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Sword in the Stone (DVD)

This 1963 adaptation of the children's classic book of the same name, which was written by Terence H. White and first published in 1938, tells the story of a young King Arthur. The plot of the book provides the underpinnings for this animated film. In the film, Arthur is a twelve year old squire to the numbskull son of his guardian. Naive and genuinely nice, he is known by the nickname "Wart". Merlin, the wizard of all wizards, takes him under his wing, seeking to educate young Arthur before he enters into legend. Wart has no clue what fate holds in store for him, when he goes to London to perform his duties as a squire. Little does he know about the sword in the stone and the legend that surrounds it. Is he in for a surprise!

This film is not as well known as other Disney animated films and has never had the acclaim of some of the others. Yet, it provides solid entertainment. The animation, as it is with all Disney animated films, is excellent, despite lacking the elegance of some other Disney animated classics. My favorite scene is that involving the evil sorceress, Mad Madam Mim, a scene that I simply loved. It is a scene that is totally funny, whimsical, and action packed. Having never seen this film before, I was pleasantly surprised by it. The seventy nine minutes that the film lasted passed all too quickly. Moreover, it is a film that the whole family may enjoy.

The 45th Anniversary edition comes loaded with many bonus features. My favorite feature was the inclusion of two classic cartoons. Both cartoons selected for inclusion follow the medieval theme of the film. The first cartoon, "Knight for a Day" dates back to 1946 and features "Goofy" as a medieval squire. With his master out of commission due to a mishap, Goofy takes his master's place at a joust that is to decide who will win the hand of the Princess. The second classic cartoon "Brave Little Tailor", dates back to 1938 and features "Mickey Mouse", who is deemed by his King to be the official giant killer, when Mickey overstates his fighting ability. Asides from a bucketful of money, if Mickey is successful in routing the giant, he will win the hand of Princess Minnie. I totally loved these two cartoons. To me, they turned this DVD into a must buy DVD.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than I once thought, July 12 2008

By

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sword in the Stone (DVD)

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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary, Jan 27 2012

By

just a little bookworm (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword in the Stone (DVD)

This is a Disney classic; an amusing take on one of Europe's greatest legends. I liked this movie as a kid - the songs, and exciting adventures - but I find that I appreciate it so much more as an adult! I mean, there are actually a lot of clever references in this film that were lost on me in childhood. The animation is beautiful, in the hand-drawn style of the old Disney. And the transition to DVD was quite good. After having re-discovered this, it has taken its place on my shelf of favourite films. Thank you Merlin!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 47 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 168 reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD
This is a good quality DVD, and I received it soon after I ordered it. My son is really interested in the medieval era and he loved the movie.

Published 4 months ago by josecash

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as great as I'd expected
The Sword in the Stone has appealing colourful images but it wasn't as great as I had hoped. There was no real opponent and the ending happened so quickly without any fight. Read more

Published on Jan 13 2010 by S