The Sword in the Stone (1963)
The Sword in the Stone was released in 1963 and is based on Arthurian legend, although watered down to suit younger audiences. The 18th Disney animated feature film, it was the final Disney animated film to be released before Walt Disney's death.
The story starts with the creation of the legend of Excalibur, the sword in the stone. After the good King of England dies, leaving no heir to the throne, a sword appears inside an anvil in London. The sword bears an inscription proclaiming that "whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king, born of England". 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 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 both of them into numerous animals such as fish and squirrels in order to impart important life lessons, such as relying upon intellect in facing dangerous situations as well as to think before one acts, as well as some science, such as gravity and physics. When Merlin and Arthur return to the castle, Ector accuses Merlin of using black magic on the dishes. Arthur 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 him how to fly. However, during their lesson Arthur is attacked by a hawk and falls into the chimney of Madam Mim, an evil witch and Merlin's nemesis. Mim's magic uses trickery, as opposed to Merlin's scientific skill. Merlin intervenes before Mim can destroy Arthur, and she challenges him to a Wizards' Duel. Despite Mim's cheating, Merlin outsmarts her by transforming into a fictional 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 Kay's squire. This causes a falling-out between Arthur and Merlin, who angrily transports himself to Bermuda when Arthur defends his choices. 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, unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy. When Arthur returns with the sword, Ector recognizes it and the tournament is halted. Ector places the sword back in its anvil, demanding Arthur prove that he pulled it. Thinking anyone can pull the sword now, Kay and others try unsuccessfully to retrieve it. Sir Pellinore and another knight, Sir Bart, stand up for Arthur and encourage him to pull the sword again. He does so, revealing that he is England's rightful king and earning Ector's and Kay's respect.
Arthur, crowned king, sits in the throne room with Archimedes, feeling unprepared to take the responsibility of ruling. Overwhelmed by the cheering crowd outside, Arthur calls out to Merlin for help. Merlin 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 Arthur that he will go on to lead the Knights of the Round Table and become famous, starring in books and even movies, which (as usual) confuses Arthur.
Did You Know…?
Arthur was voiced by three different boys - Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman and Robert Reitherman. The changes in voice are very noticeable in the film because of the way Arthur's voice keeps going from broken to unbroken, sometimes in the same scene. All three also have very distinctive American accents which does not mesh well with the Old English period of the movie.
Not including the prologue, the titular "Sword in the Stone" doesn't actually appear until 71 minutes into the film, near the end.
The climactic battle between Merlin and Mad Madam Mim is often cited by animation experts as some of the best character animation to that date. The characters go through numerous physical transformations during battle, yet retain their identifying features; Merlin's guises are blue and include his glasses and facial hair, while Mim's are pink and purple and have her messy hair.
(ref=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057546/trivia)
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