Sword in the Stone-45th Anniversary Special Edition (1963)

"There's lots of magic and wonder; some adults and all kids should be enchanted by it.  At-A-Glance Film Reviews
"Pure Disney gold!  The New York Times

Editor's Note According to legend, there was once a magical sword stuck in a sturdy rock, and whoever removed it would soon be deemed the king of all Britons. Disney's classic animated feature, SWORD IN THE STONE, tells the tale of the plucky lad who managed just that feat. Deep in the woods of medieval England, a young orphan boy called Wart has his heart set on becoming a knight's squire. Once he happens across the eccentric wizard Merlin, however, his future path changes significantly; along with his intelligent and chatty owl Archimedes, Merlin trains young Wart in the ways of wit, wisdom, and heart, preparing him for a life in the upper-echelons of English royalty. Just as his lessons are drawing to an end, Wart gets to try his hand at the legendary sword, and upon successfully removing it, goes on to become the nation's famed King Arthur. A sweet story about the might of the mind, the 1963 film features the voices of Sebastian Cabot (THE JUNGLE BOOK) and Rickie Sorensen (TARZAN), and lush, colorful imagery in the grand tradition of Disney animation artistry.

	Alan Napier - Voice Of
	Bill Peet - Screenplay
	Donald Halliday - Editor
	George Bruns - Original Music
	Ginny Tyler - Voice Of
	Junius Matthews - Voice Of
	Karl Swenson - Voice Of
	Ken Anderson - Art Director
	Martha Wentworth - Voice Of
	Richard Reitherman - Voice Of
	Rickie Sorensen - Voice Of
	Sebastian Cabot - Voice Of
	T.H. White - Based On Book By
	Walt Disney - Producer
	Wolfgang Reitherman - Director

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.... Variety 8 of 10
Bill Peet, artist-writer and longtime member of the Walt Disney production company, has chosen a highly appropriate fable, the 1938 T.H. White book of the same title, for screen adaptation for the youngsters. It emerges as a tasty confection...The feature-length cartoon demonstrates anew the magic of the Disney animators and imagination in character creation. But one might wish for a script which stayed more with the basic story line rather than taking so many twists and turns which have little bearing on the tale about King Arthur as a lad...Key figures are the boy who is to become king of England because he alone has the strength to remove the sword embedded in a stone in a London churchyard (he goes by the name of Wart), and Merlin, a magician and prophet, who's alternately wise and somewhat nutty. Others include the villainess Mad Madam Mim, who turns out to be a nice old dame, an English nobleman, a kind-hearted owl, flora & fauna, etc...The songs by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman are in the familiar Disney cartoon groove with such titles as "Higitus-Figitus," "Mad Madam Mim" and "The Legend of the Sword in the Stone." They're agreeable tunes and go along nicely with the animated action.