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By Alexander Alexiou
When considering Disney’s greatest classics, a personal favorite of mine is often overlooked -- the one feature from the 60’s to not make the Platinum list, The Sword in the Stone. It is said that Sword pales in comparison to the two films that it falls in between, story wise, music wise, and in Disney Magic. Those who say that are wrong!
The Sword in the Stone is one of those underappreciated classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One aspect of the movie that is often criticized is the episodic theme, similar to that of Alice. Throughout the course of the movie, Arthur is involved in several mini adventures, that each teach him something about life, that will eventually help him when he is king, and that will help him to be a great king. His fish adventure teaches him about action and reaction, as well as to use brains over brawn; his squirrel adventure introduces him to 2 of nature’s most powerful forces – Gravity and LOVE. What one has to keep in mind, is that this is the first in a series of King Arthur stories, this story is setting the foundation for Arthur to eventually rule as one of the greatest kings ever. The story is quite interesting, but aside from that, it is fun, and entertaining. Everyone in the family is sure to enjoy it.
The music is very good. It is fluent, energetic, and fun. The music during the opening credits is wonderful, and the narration of the beginning is actually sung in the old medieval style - a nice surprise and a first from what I’ve seen. The music is not done in the Jazzy, or New Age styles, of the other 2 '60s features, but rather a mix of medieval and simple fun. Sword in the Stone features the songs: "Higitus Figitus", "What Makes the World Go Round", and well another song along the lines of World Go Round. The music is sure to charm everyone in the family, with its simplicity and happy tone.
Anyone who says this has less Disney magic then 101 Dalmatians or Jungle Book, needs their head examined as it is quite the other way around. Sword in the Stone is brimming with that good ole' Disney magic, more so then the other two, which are pretty much magic-free. All I am going to say on the subject is that if you question what Disney magic is, watch the film, again if you’ve already seen it, and you will question what Disney magic is no more.
Sword in the Stone had a lot of thought that isn’t always showed in animated features anymore. While Merlin like the Genie makes many references to the future, or present for us, he’s made to explain them, by young Arthur who has no idea what he is talking about, while in more modern movies, such as Aladdin and Hercules, many references are made to such modern things and go unquestioned, as if everyone know what is going on in the future.
Sword in the Stone has some pretty wonderful animation at parts, and had it not been for the financial failure of Sleeping Beauty, the entire film may have been done in the nicer style of the opening shots. Though one thing to be said about the style is that it complements Sleeping Beauty's Renaissance style, with its own Medieval style. While the animation does reflect the time period, due to the Xerox technique used it is no less timeless than the movie it proceeded or the one it followed, it is still a style all it’s own, the medieval style referred to above.
While it may not seem like it, The Sword in the Stone is a bit more mature than most of Disney’s other features in that it teaches some life lessons and stresses the importance of education.
Sword in the Stone is a fun, wonderful piece of art that deserves a place in everyone’s home and heart, it has so many unique wonderful things, that the list could go on and on, it is ageless and for the ageless, unlike with many other stories, it is able to entertain and be enjoyed without being immature, and it is recommended that each and every person who reads this go out and watch today, with an open mind and an open heart.
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