The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition

[yendor]

I was a ten year old kid during the Christmas season of 1963, and you can bet that Sword in the Stone was on my "must-see" movie list! In fact, I saw it three times, and the theater was completely packed...so I don't know where anyone would get the idea that it wasn't successful.

As a "Disney kid" from the golden age (meaning I watched the ORIGINAL Mickey Mouse Club and Walt's "Disneyland" on the tube), I saw all of his films. My very first memory revolves around the 1957 re-release of Cinderella (my favorite animated Disney film), and by 1963, I was well-seasoned in all things Disney.

When Sword in the Stone hit, it was BIG. There was a marketing blitz that followed, making the film an event. There hadn't been a Disney animated film since 101 Dalmations, so we were all pumped. And "Sword" didn't disappoint! I bought the Gold DVD a few years back and enjoyed it just as much.

My only quibble has to do with the type of animation used. I was raised on the classic "clean" animation of Cinderella, et al, and noticed a distinct difference with 101 Dalmations. Suddenly, the animation seemed "scratchy," almost unfinished. It lacked that glowing, seamless beauty so evident in Cinderella and Pinocchio. The new trend continued with Sword in the Stone, the Jungle Book, and so many others. In fact, I don't think it really ended until The Rescuers and The Fox and Hound. Certainly by the time Beauty and the Beast was produced, Disney had returned to a more classic look.

And I should point out that stuff like the Aristocats and Robin Hood (and even "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," which utilized this "scratchy" animation) were disappointments at the box-office--MUCH greater than The Sword in the Stone. That was the period when Disney was stumbling. Walt had died, others came in who didn't share his vision or understand it, and their animated films really showed a lack of quality. I also saw it in the plethora of 70's live action films, which were all crap, IMO. The charm of "Shaggy Dog" gave way to "One of our Dinosaurs is Missing." Ugh!

Thankfully, Disney got its act together in the mid 1980's and has been on a roll ever since!

Personally, I can't wait for the 45th anniversary edition of Sword in the Stone. It's gonna rock!

Rod

[ichabod]

And I should point out that stuff like the Aristocats and Robin Hood (and even "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," which utilized this "scratchy" animation) were disappointments at the box-office--MUCH greater than The Sword in the Stone.

People have this idea that the 70s films all flopped. Actually Robin Hood upon its release was the highest grossing animated film of all time.

[yendor]

I seriously doubt Robin Hood was the "highest grossing" animated film of all time upon its release. It may have done better at the box-office during the original release because tickets prices were higher...but there's no denying that Snow White is the ALL-TIME highest-grossing animated film of all time, especially if ticket prices were adjusted to today's (or even 1970's) standards. Snow White was re-released many, many times over since 1937, and each time more money was put into its overall take.

The reason why people think the 70's stuff from Disney flopped is simple: the films themselves are charmless. I mean, come on--a musical score by Roger Miller, of all people? Miller was already hopelessly passe and "old-timey" when Robin Hood premiered. Certainly no kid cared about his song catalog. "King of the Road" was a smash, true--but that was in 1962 or 63.

Stuff like The Aristocats and Robin Hood and Pete's Dragon failed because they didn't set themselves apart from the drek shown on Saturday morning TV. By that point, we'd become so used to the repetitious "cheap-looking" animation of Hanna Babara and Filmation, where backgrounds are repeated when characters run or only the eyes and mouth move. The first time I ever saw an example of this horrible repetition in a Disney product was with 101 Dalmations. Check out the shot where the puppies are coming over the snow-covered hill. They're repeated again and again. Awful.

Rod

[UncleEd]

It's possible that Robin Hood was the most successful up to that time WITHOUT taking inflation into account? In the late 80's inflation was abandoned in these stats because no new film can ever beat Snow White and Gone With the Wind because they have had more reissues and were successful in each release. Reissues are kind of unfair in a tally too. I'm more interested in first issue release stats with inflation taken into account. That makes the most sense.

And say what you want against the mediocre 70's films but most of them beat almost any cheapquel made today.

[Flanger-Hanger]

People have this idea that the 70s films all flopped. Actually Robin Hood upon its release was the highest grossing animated film of all time.

Same with The Rescuers. The Aristocats was a hit (especially in France), the only real failure in animation financially between 1963 and 1988 was The Black Cauldron.