The Sword In The Stone (Animated) (DVD)

...in 1963 it wasn't until the 1990s that it was first brought out on video and that was the first time I had seen it. It was given as a present to my daughter for Christmas and was then played over and over again so many times I'm surprised it wasn't worn out. I suppose Disney are prepared for that when it comes to making them.

It's only recently that we've acquired the Dvd version and what a difference in quality - both picture and ...
...with a young boy nicknamed The Wart who lives with his uncle, Sir Ector and his cousin Kay and has lots of chores to do round the rickety old castle as well as helping with the training of Kay to be a knight for an upcoming tournament. It's set in medieval times and the king dies without an heir and as no one has managed to pull out the sword, which lies in an old churchyard embedded into stone, the tournament will decide who will be king. For anyone ... more

Although this was made in 1963 it wasn't until the 1990s that it was first brought out on video and that was the first time I had seen it. It was given as a present to my daughter for Christmas and was then played over and over again so many times I'm surprised it wasn't worn out. I suppose Disney are prepared for that when it comes to making them.

It's only recently that we've acquired the Dvd version and what a difference in quality - both picture and sound are fantastic. The magic has really been brought back to life.

This film is a real favourite now with my 3 year old as we start with a young boy nicknamed The Wart who lives with his uncle, Sir Ector and his cousin Kay and has lots of chores to do round the rickety old castle as well as helping with the training of Kay to be a knight for an upcoming tournament. It's set in medieval times and the king dies without an heir and as no one has managed to pull out the sword, which lies in an old churchyard embedded into stone, the tournament will decide who will be king. For anyone who hasnt guessed yet this is based on the legend of King Arthur.

The Wart literally stumbles upon Merlin as he falls through his roof and is very surprised to learn that Merlin has been waiting for him. Of course he is shocked and dismayed when Merlin announces that he should give up his squiring duties and get an education and when Wart goes back to the castle, Merlin tags along which is when the magic and fun start as he and his rather rude talking owl Archimedes move in.

Thats when the fun starts as Merlin teaches him all the important lessons in life by looking at how other species cope - when Wart doesn't quite get the point he is transformed into the creature they are discussing and is forced to use his brains to get himself out of trouble. My favourite bit has to be as the squirrel who finds that female attention isn't always a good thing and even Merlin has a few problems here. It's a delightful sequence and makes us all laugh as they dash from branch to branch. All the way along these adventures Merlin and Archimedes are there to help him out although Merlin also has his own problems with Madam Mim - a mad witch who loves to destroy things. This is hilarious as a wizard's duel takes place and its a battle of wits all the way.

The ending does however appear a little rushed and it seems as if a lot more could have been done after the sword is pulled. Maybe Disney will eventually do a sequel as they have with a lot of their old films although I would hope they keep the same humour and animation which I feel is very much lacking in their newer productions.

This delightful take on this old legend is both refreshing and comical as we see Merlin struggle to get Wart motivated and teach him all things important - even future inventions like an aeroplane are mentioned which confuses Wart completely. I find this early animation a joy to watch especially with all the computer imaging done nowadays and it is lovely to watch the simple ideas delight my young son as it did my girls when they were his age.

It is around 80 minutes long and as Choices are selling it for £12.99 just now I feel that it is an excellent buy. The dvd also comes with loads of extras as with most Disney productions.

We have on this one 2 animated shorts - the first a 1946 goofy cartoon called Knight for a Day and the second the delightful Brave Little Tailor made in 1938 featuring good old Mickey Mouse.

There is then a featurette called Music Magic:The Sherman Brothers which features a deleted song The Magic Key.

All About Magic is hosted by Walt Disney himself and was screened on tv in 1957 originally.

The scrapbook shows the still frame galleries and you can enlarge these if you choose to get a better look at them on screen and there are also the behind the scenes production notes on Film Facts.

Lastly there are the 2 sing-a-longs - Higitus Figitus, which is the spell that Merlin uses to pack up his belongings and That's What Makes The World Go Round which is about opposing forces.

This dvd is remarkably good value and I'm sure will be a great household favourite of ours for many years to come - after all who ever really grows out of Disney?
 

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