| The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition) | 
| Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Actors: Norman Alden, Sebastian Cabot, Junius Matthews, The Mello Men, Alan Napier
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $15.99
You Save: $14.00 (47%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $14.08
Avg. Customer Rating:   (112 reviews)
Sales Rank: 842
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 79 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 05708000
UPC: 786936761627
EAN: 0786936761627
ASIN: B0015XWU9U
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 1963
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In London during medieval times there was a large stone with a heavy sword imbedded in it. The man who could pull the sword from the stone would become king of England but no man despite his strength was able to complete the deed. However when a young lad named Wart appears he just might be able to pull off the impossible....This classic Disney feature based on the children's book by T.H. White tells the story of Wart a young boy in medieval England who runs into the eccentric wizard Merlin. The sorcerer decides to give the boy an education and in the process the two have a series of magical adventures.System Requirements:Running Time: 79 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating:G UPC:786936761627 Manufacturer No:05708000
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 107 more reviews...
 Top shelf edition of bottom shelf Disney September 6, 2008
This is a wonderfully produced release of one of the weaker full-length films produced during Walt Disney's lifetime. I know that doesn't mesh with many of the reviews here, but I just find very little to enjoy in this particular film. There is no real story, with a particularly weak script by the usually marvelous Bill Peet (the most versatile individual from the Golden Age of Disney, sometimes designing characters, sometimes writing screenplays, sometimes directing). The film consists of a series of largely unconnected vignettes where Merlin is ostensibly educating the future King Arthur. I did not care for this film when I was a small child and I find that I haven't come to care for it as an adult.
On the other hand, I'm sure that many kids will get a huge blast out of this. One of my daughter's favorite Disney films as a small child was ROBIN HOOD, which is probably my least favorite Disney film ever.
Certainly this release makes the film look more beautiful than it ever has before for home viewing. This was one of the first films I watched on my new high def TV and I was just delighted with how vivid the colors were. As with most Disney rereleases there were also many interesting special features.
I would, however, only recommend this to someone who is a bit of a completist, dedicated to owning all of the Disney films on DVD. There are just so many other films that one ought to own first. Not counting collections of short subjects, there must be a solid fifteen to twenty DVDs that one would want to collect before this one. Still, I'm sure almost any kid will love it. I'm just not confident that most adults will.
 Not Up To Your Standards? July 28, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Maybe that's because it's a movie for little kids you twit.
I didn't intend to review this but I see all these jack*ffs slamming a children's cartoon and I just had to say something.
"What do you get when you mix TH White and Disney and BLAH BLAH DIDDLEY BLEH!"
Oh you witty rascal you.
Shut up. Just shut up.
Very happy tp add to my collection July 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Old Disney movie that is fun to watch. Glad to have in DVD format for my collection of Disney movies
Yay July 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love this movie, i am so glad that it is released again for Disney lovers everywhere
Much better than I once thought July 13, 2008
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.
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