The Sword in the Stone (1963)

71% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(176,050 ratings)

1963's The Sword in the Stone is Disney's animated take on Arthurian legend. In the midst of the Dark Ages, when England has no rightful ruler, a sword imbedded in a stone mysteriously appears in a London churchyard, bearing the inscription "Whoso pulleth out the sword of this stone and anvil is… More 1963's The Sword in the Stone is Disney's animated take on Arthurian legend. In the midst of the Dark Ages, when England has no rightful ruler, a sword imbedded in a stone mysteriously appears in a London churchyard, bearing the inscription "Whoso pulleth out the sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of England." Scores of would-be kings travel to London to attempt the feat and thereby claim the throne. They all fail. Years later, in the English countryside, an 11-year-old squire nicknamed Wart (Rickie Sorensen) is devotedly helping his incompetent foster brother, Kay (Norman Alden), train to become a knight, when he meets the great magician Merlin (Karl Swenson). The well meaning, but absentminded, wizard declares himself Wart's mentor and claims that he will lead the boy to his destiny. Spirited and full of spunk, Wart (whose real name is Arthur) approaches Merlin's lessons with the same determination that he applies to Kay's hopeless training and to the monotonous chores he is assigned by his guardian. He soon finds himself accompanying Kay to London for a jousting tournament that will determine England's new king. There, Wart forgets to bring Kay's weapon to the joust, but finds an abandoned sword in a nearby churchyard -- which he effortlessly pulls out of a stone. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 19 min.
Directed By: Wolfgang Reitherman
Written By: T.H. White, Bill Peet
Genres: Drama, Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Dec 25, 1963 Limited
On DVD: Mar 20, 2001

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
There is still some life in the characterizations, though the animation is turning stiff and flat.
Variety Staff, Variety
The feature-length cartoon demonstrates anew the magic of the Disney animators and imagination in character creation.
Glenn Collins, New York Times
The humor sparkles with real, knowing sophistication -- meaning for all ages -- and some of the characters on the fifth-century landscape of Old England are Disney pips.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Delightful classic brings Arthur legend to life.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Well animated yet thoroughly tedious...
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
It makes a good effort at being something like My First Arthur Story.
, Empire Magazine
It feels older than contemporary Disney work due to flat, creaky animation. The story still has resonance for kids, though.
, Film4
Innocuous fun for all the family -- well, those under eight anyway. Grown-ups should seek out Excalibur instead.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
It is seldom mentioned in discussions of Disney's work, and no character in it evolved into a Disney favorite.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
Sadly, in viewing the film as an adult, I lost a bit of the magic.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
... the DVD leaves one yearning for a two-disc edition somewhere down the line.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
For all of its inventiveness, the film's characters are never quite as endearing as they should be, and the central relationship between Arthur and Merlin is oddly detached.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Merlin's got the potion that will put your sword into motion.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
He had my heart racing like a squirrel. He had my body soaring into the stratosphere like a bird. He had me slippery and firm like a fresh young perch.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
[Wart's] curious, a bit goofy, a good but sometimes reluctant student, and visually his youthfulness is emphasized by clothes that leave the lad swimming in the excess space.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Fans of the fairy-tale format will recognize a little Cinderella in the structure.
Derek Adams, Time Out
A beautifully animated Disney feature.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

One of my favorite Disney movies as a kid.
AJ V

This movie is for really young kids and you can tell, it's very light and silly. I also find that it doesn't draw you in very well, especially with the wizard guy who can see the future and tends to mention modern stuff like TVs and cars. It's okay, but it's… More
This movie is for really young kids and you can tell, it's very light and silly. I also find that it doesn't draw you in very well, especially with the wizard guy who can see the future and tends to mention modern stuff like TVs and cars. It's okay, but it's kind of annoying.
Conner R

A fun disney movie that translates the King Arthur storyline to fit their needs. It's more centered around Merlin and Morgana rather than Arthur though, which is actually fine since it's really interesting. The visuals are great, as always, and there's some great… More
A fun disney movie that translates the King Arthur storyline to fit their needs. It's more centered around Merlin and Morgana rather than Arthur though, which is actually fine since it's really interesting. The visuals are great, as always, and there's some great original thoughts and ideas thrown in. While it's not the definitive King Arthur, it's fine for what it is; a light hearted kid's movie.
erika b

This is a really laid back film.
KJ P

It was okay! I did not like it much, but not that bad!
Jennifer D

Such a cute little movie. I thought the backwards, yet forwards, ideologies were cutely explained.
Bruce B

A Disney Classic, Dare I say Anything Bad. A Family Christmas Film for sure. 3 Stars
Jason O

"The Sword in the Stone" is one of my top 5 favorite Disney films of all time. A young orphan boy who is bossed around too much by his family, meets Merlin, a marvelous wizard who befriends the boy and teaches him many great lessons. Soon Merlin, Wart, and Merlin's… More
"The Sword in the Stone" is one of my top 5 favorite Disney films of all time. A young orphan boy who is bossed around too much by his family, meets Merlin, a marvelous wizard who befriends the boy and teaches him many great lessons. Soon Merlin, Wart, and Merlin's educated pet owl, Archimedes, are all having fun and spending a lot of valuable time together. These lessons and the magic wonders of Merlin could help the boy succeed instead of fail like his whole family is pretty much doing. Also, there's another great mystery. Whoever removes a mysterious sword from the stone will become King of England. Everything about "The Sword in the Stone" is great. I've seen just about all the Disney films and I definitely have to say that "The Sword in the Stone" is the funniest one of all the ones I've seen. Archimedes the owl with his grouchy personality and the squirrel chases are especially hilarious. Also, Merlin will change himself and Wart to a fish, squirrel, and later change Wart into a bird, and those are some of the most memorable parts of the movie. The wizard duel close to the end of the movie is the most memorable and it's also exciting. "The Sword in the Stone" also has good music, especially the song that Merlin and Wart sing while they're transformed into fish, "Two and fro, stop and go, that's what makes the world go round." I've been watching "The Sword in the Stone" all my life. Now I'm 20 and I still like watching it every now and then. It's not just a movie for kids, it's for anybody no matter how old you are. "The Sword in the Stone" is entertaining, funny, and it never gets old. I recommend anybody to get this movie, it's a timeless classic. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. One of, if not the most underrated of the Disney oldies but classics. Thir or "Robin Hood" would be most underrated to me.
Jon L

I need to see this one again, it was so long ago.
Tim S

My second favorite Disney Animated film.
Film C

love this film i love merlin the character is great
Alexander W

Great little animation about an old stone and socery in a sword.
Curtis L

Pretty sweet.
Phil H

great version of the classic tale,the animation is'nt quite up there with the best but the scenes are really imaginative and memorable.the wizard battle,the fish scene,the squirrel scene and the bird scene are all brilliantly fun.the whole thing looks great,england looks nice n… More
great version of the classic tale,the animation is'nt quite up there with the best but the scenes are really imaginative and memorable.the wizard battle,the fish scene,the squirrel scene and the bird scene are all brilliantly fun.the whole thing looks great,england looks nice n medival and the voices are super.
Rachel F

Another Disney classic....I loved this one.
Megan S

Most underated Disney film ever! This has always been one of my favorites. The scenes when they turn into animals are so cute...especially the squirrel scene.
danny d

great disney flick, one of their best
Jason S

Good.
Leigh R

Great movie.
DOCTOR P

7th of the Silver age. The animation is not much different compared to the previous studio effort. That being said the film is much weaker in so many areas. The story here is all over the place, there is MUCH too little narrative. What starts off with a pretty decent opening… More
7th of the Silver age. The animation is not much different compared to the previous studio effort. That being said the film is much weaker in so many areas. The story here is all over the place, there is MUCH too little narrative. What starts off with a pretty decent opening soon gets ruined as many pointless scenes enter the film, worse they're not very entertaining except for a few exceptions.The worst though is that by the end nothing is very much memorable. Sadly THERE ARE great characters here, mainly Merlin, his Owl, and Mad Madame Mim. All the others are either bland or just plain uninteresting, including our lead character. Merlin is one of the best interpretations of the character but sadly had to be in a uninteresting film, but he also has an Owl who makes him all the more fun. Mim is a fun villain who unfortunately barely appears in the film and for the most part becomes useless considering not much is added to the story when she's on screen. The songs are unmemorable and will not stay in mind for long. As a whole it's sad that this film isn't better, it had a great source material, and featured some great characters from Disney's history. It's mentioned that Madame Mim was based on the harsh critics from Walt's past films and sadly this film is one that in this critic's opinion deserved the negative reviews that it hardly got. Up next: Time to say goodbye to Walt in the jungle.