Michael's Movie Grade: B
Year Released" 1963
History
The Sword in the Stone was a long time in the making. After writer Bill Peet (who would write the film's screenplay) brought the story to Walt's mind, Walt bought the rights to T.H. White's novel in 1939. However the project just sat there. In 1949 Disney animators started making drawings for this film. Again little to nothing seemed to come from this. However after Walt eventually saw a Broadway version of Camelot (inspired by the same book) starring Julie Andrews, he knew this projected had to finally go into production.
Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman was one of Walt's nine old men. He had proved himself as one of the studio's best animators of action scenes, famously animating the scene of Pinocchio in which Pinocchio and Geppetto are chased by Monstro the whale. With 101 Dalmatians, he was promoted to a director and co-directed that movie with Clyde Germoni, Hamilton Luske. With The Sword in the Stone Wolfgang was directing a movie all by himself. Walt supposedly did this because he thought of Woolie as "an all American boy" and ran ideas past him because he felt that if Woolie liked it the public would as well. However this in many way resulted in the supervising animators having even more control. Ollie Johnson remembered that he almost directed the scenes he was the supervising animator for himself.
By this time Disney was no longer making many animated shorts, nor as many animated features, because of this there were less animators working on this movie. Because of this animators were no longer as strongly divided between characters and there were more animators that worked on multiple characters and scenes. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson were the supervising animators for Arthur, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnson and Milt Kahl for Merlin, Ollie Johnson for Archimedes, Milt Kahl for Sir Kay and Milt Kahl and Frank Thomas for Madam Mim (FRank Thomas animated the famous wizard duel scene.
Critics loved the movie. However the film was only a moderate success at the box office. While it made $4.5 million, that was far beneath what the average Disney animated feature would bring in. Though this was not the last animated feature Walt worked in it was the last Disney animated feature he would live to see be released. Walt was not a fan of the film, and notes on The Jungle Book show that Walt specifically told his Woolie to make that film very different from The Sword in the Stone.
In Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland there is a sword in a stone for people to take pictures by. In all of the parks Merlin used to roam around to find a child who could pull the sword out of the stone. However today this only happens at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. As well as this Disneyland features a King Arthur's Carousel ride.
Review
A great movie, and if it doesn't live up to what you except, that is only because the previous Disney animated features set the bar extremely high.
This film has much more in common with Disney's live action output during this time than the studio's usual animated output. It has a slower pace, a very simple story, and the movie is very lighthearted. However none of this is a bad thing. In fact the joy of the film is found in this lighthearted simplicity. It is in a nice relaxing movie to watch. The slower pace works perfectly with the story as well. The slower pace never makes the movie become boring, in the way it does in Sleeping Beauty. Rather it adds to the leisurely relaxing feel to the film.
However also important to this movie is the characters. With the exception of Sir Kay (who is kind of a boring movie stereotype), the characters are all very likable. Merlin is not just comedy relief, but you can see how much he really cares about the boy and his determination to do what is right. Arthur is a kid who remains very likable and his loyalty to both his adopted father and Merlin is very relatable. While Archimedes may have a rough exterior, he has a heart of gold. Also adding to this movie's fun is the famous wizard duel scene, which is just as fun as it is said to be.
This is a great movie, as long as you don't compare it to the likes of Snow White or Pinocchio.
Film Credits
Director: Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman
Writer: Bill Peet
Based off a book T.H. White
Voices: Sebastian Cabot (Ector, Narrator), Karl Swenson (Merlin), Rickie Sorenson (Wart), Richard Reitherman (Wart), Robert Reitherman (Wart), Norman Alder (Kay), Alan Napier (Pelinore), Barbara Jo Allen (Scullery Maid), Martha Wentworth (Madame Mim, Squirrel, Scullery Maid), Junius Matthews (Archimedes), Ginny Tyler (Little Girl Squirrel); Thurl Ravenscroft, Jim Macdonald, Tudor Owen (The Mello Men)
Producer: Walt Disney
Editor: Donald Halliday
Art Director: Ken Anderson
Layout Artists: Don Griffith, Basil Davidovich, Vance Gerry, Sylvia Cobb, Dale Barnhart, Homer Jonas
Background Artists: Walt Peregoy, Bill Layne, Al Dempster, Anthony Rizzo, Ralph Hulett, Fil Mottola
Layout Artists: Don Griffith, Basil Davidovich, Vance Gerry, Sylvia Cobb, Dale Barnhart, Homer Jonas
Background Artists: Walt Peregoy, Bill Layne, Al Dempster, Anthony Rizzo, Ralph Hulett, Fil Mottola
Supervising Animators: Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery
Animators: Hal King, Eric Cleworth, Cliff Nordberg, Eric Larson, John Sibley, Hal Ambro, Dick N. Lucas
Effects Animators: Dan MacManus, Jack Boyd, Jack Buckley
Sound Artist: Robert O. Cook.
Resources Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney by Michael Barrier
http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/34-Sword-In-The-Stone
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Sword%20in%20the%20Stone%20%28The%29
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Sword%20in%20the%20Stone%20%28The%29
-Michael J. Ruhland
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