According to legend, only someone with honor, decency and inner strength can claim the throne of England – by pulling out the enchanted sword that lies locked in a massive stone. Many brave knights have tried, so it seems impossible that a young apprentice known as Wart could succeed. But with the guidance of the wizard Merlin, help from some hilarious friends and true strength of character, Wart just might become England’s greatest king.
- Based on the novel The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White.
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When looking back through classic Disney films, I stumbled across one I hadn’t seen in ages: The Sword in the Stone. I remember liking this as a kid, especially the wizard duel between Merlin and Madam Mim, and wanted to see if it was still holding up all these years later. Would it be just as fun as I remembered? Or would it, like some many of these “classics” lost its luster over time?
The voices were pretty well done in The Sword in the Stone. The main character, a young boy nicknamed Wart, is voiced by Rickie Sorensen, and as is typical of Disney films (with a few exceptions), isn’t recognizable. He does a decent job of portraying the character, complete with the squeaks and awkward singing voice of someone going through puberty. He’s not the most engaging character, but then again, he’s got a lot of backup here.
And it’s those backup characters that take the brunt of the film on their shoulders. Merlin is voiced by Karl Swenson, who was the guy prophesizing the end of the world in the diner scene from The Birds. He’s both the teacher and the comic relief, and does a great job of keeping the viewer entertained. Junius Matthews, the voice of Rabbit in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, takes on the role of Archimedes the owl, and one can see the similarities between the two characters. Martha Wentworth turns her soothing Nanny voice from One Hundred and One Dalmatians into a screech for the mad Madam Mim. And Bagheera from The Jungle Book, Sebastian Cabot, does double duty as both the narrator and Sir Ector. They all do solid jobs in their roles, and deliver some fun performances.
The storyline is basically a different take on the famous legend of King Arthur. The fabled sword in the stone is at the heart of the film, but here, it’s definitely not the dramatic tale that other films have portrayed. Here, it’s turned into a goofy backstory, with Merlin teaching Arthur about magic. So, instead of the dramatic turns his life will later take, this focuses on different vignettes of Arthur (or Wart as he’s nicknamed) turning into various animals, and the shenanigans that occur. It’s silly, it’s barely held together by the plot, and the whole sword in the stone thing is a mere backdrop, rather than the real focus of the film.
Unlike later Disney films, the music in The Sword in the Stone doesn’t have many catchy tunes. Most of it is just gibberish, magical chanting set to a score. And the lesser production values show, as it’s a bit more tinny and jarring than the music of later films. Unlike future films too, the music is pretty forgettable, and viewers probably won’t catch themselves humming any of the songs later on.
For all that though, The Sword in the Stone is still a fun kids movie. There isn’t really a dark element at all here, as even the evil Madam Mim doesn’t really seem to pose any more of a threat than a wolf that falls prey to silly pratfalls without even the prey (usually Wart) even noticing the danger. Decent characters and voice acting, but it’s a bit too silly and thin on plot to make it one of the more beloved classics.
