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| The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition) | 
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| Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Actors: Norman Alden, Sebastian Cabot, Junius Matthews, The Mello Men, Alan Napier
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $12.39
You Save: $17.60 (59%)
New (64) Used (20) Collectible (1) from $11.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  114 reviews
Sales Rank: 414
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 79
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 05708000
UPC: 786936761627
EAN: 0786936761627
ASIN: B0015XWU9U
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 1963
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED AND THIS IS NOT A CHINESE INTERNATIONAL KNOCK OFF, THIS IS THE REAL MCCOY. All items are guaranteed to work.
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Product Description
In London during medieval times there was a large stone with a heavy sword imbedded in it. The man who could pull the sword from the stone would become king of England but no man despite his strength was able to complete the deed. However when a young lad named Wart appears he just might be able to pull off the impossible....This classic Disney feature based on the children's book by T.H. White tells the story of Wart a young boy in medieval England who runs into the eccentric wizard Merlin. The sorcerer decides to give the boy an education and in the process the two have a series of magical adventures.System Requirements:Running Time: 79 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936761627 Manufacturer No: 05708000
Amazon.com
Based upon T.H. White's beloved novel, this Disney-fied version chronicles the tutoring of the Once and Future King, Arthur, as handled by the magician Merlin. Sword was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upbraiding storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. But there's much to enjoy here as Merlin shows Newt, the young Arthur, things that will help him become the ruler of the Britons. The transformation sequences, where the boy is turned into a fish, a bird, and a squirrel are vintage Disney. The oft-repeated scene of Merlin battling it out with the mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it belies the problem with most of the film--the scenes are only there for the chuckles. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Children will like it, but they won't cherish it. --Keith Simanton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 109 more reviews...
 Widescreen or not...that is the question. March 27, 2003
90 out of 113 found this review helpful
I remember "The Sword in the Stone" as a widescreen movie, so I was dismayed to find that Disney had released this animated favorite to DVD in a cropped/pan-and-scan format. However, on further investigation, I discovered that, to my surprise, "The Sword in the Stone" was not a widescreen motion picture... at least not originally. Apparently, like "101 Dalmations" and other films of the late 1950s and early 1960s, "The Sword in the Stone" was made to be projected in one of two formats: either widescreen or full-frame, depending on the theater where it was shown. It seems that the Disney animators designed the film with a bit of 'extra picture' at the top and bottom of each frame; that way this 'extra' could be cut off without ruining the image in theaters playing it in widescreen. In other theaters, and on television, the film could be shown in a standard full-frame (1.33:1) format. So, according to Disney, the current full-frame DVD of "TSITS" is indeed the film in it's "original format'. Admittedly, it may not be the way that most of us remember this great little movie, but it is the way the folks at Disney made it.
Better than you'd think April 12, 2008
54 out of 63 found this review helpful
Though this 1963 animated musical is by no means a Disney classic, there is a lot to like. When an English king dies he leaves no successor, just a note that says whoever pulls a particular sword out of a stone is his rightful heir. After much help from a magical wizard, a young boy does just that, and becomes the legendary King Arthur. That's the plot of the first book of author T.H. White's classic The Once and Future King, which forms the basis of the story here.
The tale of a courageous child, the movie teaches the power of brains over brawn, the value of fair play and the reward of having one's worth acknowledged by one's peers. Colorful characters include the absentminded Merlin, his skeptical owl Archimedes and a wacky evil sorceress, Madam Mim.
The animation is, at times, superb. There's a thrilling encounter with the largest fish in the moat, and a delightful scene of an amorous female squirrel pursuing a mate. The movie's highlight is its climactic wizard's duel, a five-minute segment that offers some inventive visual ideas. As Merlin and evil witch Madam Mim transform themselves into everything from bunnies to fire-breathing dragons, the screen "shakes" with each collision and the color palette changes often. Everything is frequently interrupted by Merlin's witty references to the "future" 1960s, though many of these will be lost on anyone younger than say, 50.
Unfortunately, there's also a lot that falls flat. Many wonderful elements of White's story -- Merlin's magic, for example -- are treated as if they're ho-hum parts of everyday life. The opening scenes are overloaded with dialogue, the skit-style narrative has no real drive, and overall the animation is basic by Disney standards, much like The Jungle Book (some of it, in fact, was reused in that later film).
Still, the good outweighs the bad. As someone who has to be familiar with most all of great moments the Disney studio has given us, I find "The Sword in The Stone" easy to pick apart, but nevertheless surprisingly entertaining. For all its flaws, the movie still has just enough Disney magic to thoroughly engross a preschooler, and entertain many others.
In other words, as one of Disney's worst animated films, "The Sword in The Stone" is one of the best. In fact, the new book The Pixar Touch reports that this is the movie that caused a then-six-year-old John Lasseter, today's Pixar guru, to fall in love with animation.
The film is presented correctly, in its original "full frame" format. It is not letterboxed.
BONUS FEATURES
Movie-related extras include a good 8-minute featurette with the Sherman Brothers, who frankly discuss their contributions to the film (including the deleted song "The Magic Key"); Merlin's Magical Academy, a tongue-in-cheek series of quizzes and video games; a 7-minute clip black-and-white TV clip excerpt from the "All About Magic" episode of "Walt Disney Presents" with Walt doing magic acts; a series of film facts; and galleries of concept art.
The disc also has two Disney cartoons. When Mickey Mouse tells a white lie about his fighting prowess, he ends up facing down a rampaging giant in the 1938 classic "Brave Little Tailor." Meanwhile, a medieval Goofy stands in for his master at a joust in the 1946 short "Knight for a Day."
 A much overlooked animated gem! February 11, 2005
22 out of 31 found this review helpful
Sometime in the medieval ages, there is a legend about this magic stone that contains a sword and according to the legend, who so pulls out the sword from the anvil shall become king of all England. Though many tried to pull it, no miracle and the sword was forgotten for ages in an age of no laws, brutality and darkness in just which magician Merlin has trouble with the days of no kings, he then meets a young squire named "Wart" ( a.k.a. Arthur) whom is a problemic young man with a mean foster father and big foster brother, Merlin then trains Wart through education in order to become more social and on adventures that will lead him to pull the sword out of the stone.
An underrated disney classic that is a delightful story with good animation for it's time, nice songs like "Higitus Figitus" and humor makes this a definite must have for the animation DVD collector everywhere.
The DVD has some great extras like two cartoons, Behind the songs with a deleted song that never made it into the film, still frame galleries, All Abou the Magic 1957 episode or "Walt Disney Presents", Film-facts, sing-alongs and great remastering with good sound quality.
"Big news from London" The Sword in the Stone is Great! May 24, 2000
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
The Sword in the Stone is simply the best Disney animated film of all time! It's full of wonderful and unique animation. I can't stand how cookie cutter and overdone their current stuff is. (ie. Tarzan, could his chin get any bigger?) But the film is also full of brilliant well developed characters. Merlin and Archimedes are great fun as they bicker like a couple of siblings about how to teach Wart to think for himself. Wart is great fun and even side characters like Pelinor are full of quirks. (twitching his beard when ever he speakes) You'll understand when you see the movie. Give this film a chance and you'll love it. Leonard Maltin is either writing reviews from his Critics Cliff Notes or he accidently stuck his copy of "The Lion King II" in the VCR, because "Sword.." is great. The only reason I can think why people wouldn't like it is because we have forgot how to appreciate subtlety. This movie is great fun for both young and old. I'm 24 years old and I'm still watching it!
One of Disney's best classics December 5, 2000
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
"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.
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