I haven't seen The Sword in the Stone (1963) more than a few times. In fact, it's been a several months now since watching it, but I'll do my best to remember. People go on about Disney princesses and animals and (at least, it seems to me) forget about the movies featuring human boys; this is one of those frequently forgotten movies.
The Sword in the Stone is the tale of King Arthur as a boy, before he was king. Arthur himself is a likable character: he is scrawny, kindhearted, and naïve; he loves nature (a Disney "must"); and he is adorably clumsy. There's even that endearing way his voice cracks and changes pitch, which brings me to a fun fact: Wikipedia claims there were three different voice actors for the character. Feel free to look into that further on your own time. My point is, Arthur is a generally likable kid.
In fact, the main thing that bugs me about our main character is that he goes by "Wart." Several years ago, I read The Once and Future King, which serves as the source material for the film. I didn't care for the nickname then, and I don't care for it now. Yes, I suppose it adds an element to the bullying our young protagonist endures at the hands of Sirs Kay and Ector, but it doesn't seem fitting to his legendary status. At least Cinderella got a pretty nickname, but I digress.
The animation in Sword is akin to One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) in its sketchiness. You get some cute scenes when Merlin (a bearded precursor to 1992 Aladdin's Genie) turns himself and the boy into animals--especially the squirrels--and he and talking owl sidekick Archimedes provide plenty of comedy. Archimedes, like Friend Owl in Bambi (1942), is a grumpy but loyal companion. And an owl. Did I mention they're both owls? Anywho...
One downside to this movie is its meandering, episodic plot. When the main threat is being called names or having to do dishes or being used for jousting practice..... okay, so that last one is actually cause for alarm, but in general the plot revolves around getting in and out of trouble thanks to (or, in some instances, no thanks to) Merlin.
There are so many sub-plots to this story that I almost forgot about Madam Mim. As with Snow White's (1937) Wicked Queen and Sleeping Beauty's (1959) Maleficent, we are presented with an evil witch. Unlike the previous two evil witches, however, Mim 1. is barely present in the movie, 2. has no personal vendetta against our protagonist (only a rivalry with Merlin), and 3. is a comical villainess. I mean, how seriously can you take someone who refers to herself as "mad mad mad mad" and "an ugly old creep"? She even sings her own magical mumbo jumbo, akin to "bibbidi bobbidi boo." All in all, Mim is an enjoyable element of the movie.
I would like to take a moment to address the music in Sword. The prolific Disney songwriting team of brothers Richard and Robert Sherman wrote the songs which, although hardly their most memorable works (*cough* "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" *cough*), are cute nonetheless. The only one that has stuck with me is the "up and down" one they sing as fish, but that doesn't mean the others are less cute.
All in all, I enjoyed this movie. It is cute and fun in spite of its meandering plot. This is yet another Disney feature I expect the whole family could enjoy--at least, everyone with any interest in Arthurian legend or silly magic.
