The king has died and no one can agree on the right king for England. A miraculous sword appear in London stuck in an anvil and stone. It comes with an inscription proclaiming the man who pulls the sword will be the new king. Many try but nobody succeeds. The Sword in the Stone becomes forgotten as the land fall into a dark age. Merlin the wizard has plans for the young orphan Arthur.The animation is classic hand-drawn style. It has an old-style charm that is reminiscent of TV cartoons of that era. It's educational at times. It's pretty light weight humor. The story is pretty thin. It doesn't put in enough time for a compelling villain. It also suffer for not having a beautiful princess or an interesting lead. Arthur is too flimsy to be a compelling child character. Merlin and Archimedes are really the only fascinating characters. It's also missing any great songs. The best part of the movie is the transformational battle between Merlin and Mim.

In medieval times, Merlin the Magician tutors a 12-year-old boy through educational magic; the lad, nicknamed Wart, is the future King of England, King Arthur, though what he learns from being temporarily transformed into a fish, a squirrel, et al. isn't made clear. Animated adventures from Walt Disney is heavy on both the slapstick and the talk--the former a handicap because of a lack of visual wit, the latter a detriment because the characters aren't very interesting. The picture has nice color, and a funny supporting performance from Junius Matthews as Archimedes the owl, but the main set-piece (a showdown of magic between Merlin and his nemesis, Madam Mim) is just a flurry of activity, magic without boundaries for easy laughers. The intermittent songs, by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, are weak (and unsingable) and the character of Wart, hindered by poor vocal work, fails to emerge. ** from ****

I can't say I loved this movie. It was kind of fun but there were a lot of things that could have been better. I'm not complaining that it's unfaithful to the book, though, since I haven't read the book. But there were quite a few things that I didn't like.The main thing I didn't like was how Merlin taught Wart life lessons only through turning him into animals. I mean, he's a powerful sorcerer, right? So why not do something else? Okay, maybe one animal transformation would have been alright. If he just turned Wart into a bird and that was it and there were two other different things, I think it would have been alright. I mean, why not take Wart to Mars or something? Why not shrink him down to the size of an atom? Anyway, the part with the squirrels was just a bit awkward and went on far too long.And another thing I didn't like was how Merlin just conveniently got so angry with Wart (for wanting to go to the tournament) that he goes to Bermuda (in the future). The reason for this is pretty obvious. Just before the climax of the movie, Wart forgets Sir Kay's sword in the inn in which they are staying. Wart goes to retrieve it but the door is locked. THIS is the practical reason why Merlin goes away (the in-story reason is that he gets very angry, of course, which is just not very believable). It would look very silly if a powerful wizard was unable to open a locked door. Still, I thought THE SWORD IN THE STONE was okay. It's definitely not terrible. Merlin and Archimedes are pretty cool.It's pacing is slow but it's still kind of fun to watch.

The Sword In The Stone is a personal favourite of all the Disney animated films. It has a number of things that make it feel rather unique including the laid back tone, lack of a true villain and how it mainly teaches lessons about life. It is certainly one of Disney's most interesting and enjoyable films.The plot loosely follows the book of the same name, Arthur (mainly known as Wart)is a boy who aims to be a knight's squire. When out hunting he falls through the roof of Merlin, a brilliant but slightly eccentric wizard and his highly educated owl Archimedes. Merlin knows that Arthur has the potential for brilliance and decides to give him an education so he can achieve anything. Along the way they change into a variety of animals, meet the menacing witch Madam Mim and learn a lot about life. The story does have a very warm and inviting feel to it. It is an intelligent film presented in a fun way which lets you learn as well as be entertained, it doesn't try to tone down smart aspects and that helps it to stand out. The characters are all brilliant which is crucial as it makes the film work. Arthur is a likable, naïve boy who we know will learn from his experiences to become king. However it was distracting how three different people did his voice, which explains why it changes frequently and it can be pretty annoying. Merlin is a wonderful lead for Arthur, his dissatisfaction with the times and frustrations with Arthur are very funny as he's nicely voiced by Karl Swenson. Talking owl Archimedes is brilliant too, his reactions to events and grouchy outbursts are hilarious, and he also offers a good link between Merlin's weirdness and the real world. Mim is great as she offers the closest thing to a villain, making a good impression in her short screen time. The brash Ector and arrogant Kay are great support as Arthur's adoptive family. The animation is stellar as always, the 60s saw some really good looking animation. It is relatively simple, but it does feel very authentic and it fits in perfectly. The views presented of the castle and forests really do bring an authentic as well as nicely atmospheric feel. The film is certainly the most philosophical of all the Disney film which adds to its individuality, it's nice that it focuses on the trials of life rather than jump into all the action which can be a flaw of many Disney films. When the scenes of adventure do come along they are all the more effective. The adventures as fish and squirrels are really enjoyable, filled with excitement and suspense as well as plenty of laughs. The climactic battle between Merlin and Mim is just fantastic, they turn into different animals and duel which leads to some great action and animation. The climax involving Excalibur is also well set up and nicely uplifting. Disney's songs can be a bit boring, but here they are excellent, songs such as "Higitus Figitus" are really catchy and great fun. One of the few complains is the wish for it to have been longer, but given the time it was released it is understandable. One of Disney's stronger and more underrated efforts, it is a brilliantly enjoyable feature.