The Sword in the Stone is the most charming and funny Arthurian tales with some of the wittiness of the T.H. White book. The director is Wolfgang Reitherman, one of the Nine Old Men and Disney Legend, he directed One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and The Jungle Book (1967). Bill Peet is the writer adapting the 1938 novel by White and he also adapted One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The songs are by the Sherman Brothers. It was produced by Walt Disney and was his last animated film. The Sword in the Stone was one of four parts that White compiled into the novel, The Once and Future King (1958). It was a clever re-telling of the King Arthur legend that kept the bones of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (1485) and giving the legend a clever twists that gives it a good polish. It also inspired the 1960 musical, Camelot.
We see the sword in the anvil and then get the music by George Bruns previewing the new songs by the Sherman Brothers. This moves to the red book elaborately decorated of The Sword in the Stone. The book opens to show the pages while we get the title song sung by a bard with vocals by Fred Darian. He tells of the “Good King”, Uther, who died. Leaving England without an heir so the land falls into war. Then, there was a miracle appeared in Londontown, the sword in the stone. The narrator, Sebastian Cabot, continues with the inscription about pulling the sword from the stone and anvil to become “rightwise king of England.” There were many who tried, but failed, and the narrator says the sword was forgotten. He says it was a dark age and we plunge into a black forest. Then, we see the red eyes of a wolf and hawk that tries to swoop after a squirrel!
This shifts over to Merlin struggling with a chain to pull up a pail of water from a stone well. He has the long, tangled beard, glasses, and floppy, conical hat that is blue as his robe. Merlin is voiced by Karl Swanson with just the right amount of grumpiness, goofiness, and wisdom. Swanson was also in the Hitchcock film, The Birds, that year as the Drunken Doomsayer in Diner. He grumbles about all of the inconviences without modern technology like electricity. This Merlin lives is life in reverse, Benjamin Buttoning 45 years before the film! It is an iconic performance, not a dark as Nicol Williamson in Excalbur (1981), but funny and unexpected from the wizard. He carries back the pail to his cottage, a simple home with a chemistry lab of tubes, and he expects an arrival in a half hour.
A small owl from a birdhouse like a clock and says, “Who? Who?”, funny!, Archimedes is voiced by Junius Matthews. He also voiced abbit in the Winnie the Pooh short films. Archimedes is the counter to Merlin’s genius and later has a long laugh that has to go into animation history. Merlin says he doesn’t know his guest arranging a chair under the roof, “someone very important”, that he will guide to his “rightful place.” He says the boy will be about 12, scrawny, and his vision shows the tall, surly Kay. Then, the boy, Wart, runs up to join Kay across a stone wall. Outside of the forest, Kay is hunting with his bow, and Wart is on a tree branch above him. He has a squeaky, kid voice. One of the voices is Rickie Sorenson, who was Tommy Banks in the sitcom, Father of the Bride. The other voices include Richard Reitherman and his brother, Robert, sons of the director. They appeared in the documentary, Growing Up with Nine Old Men (2013). Kay is voiced by Noman Alden who later played Lou, the cafe owner in Back to the Future (1985).
Kay spots a deer and draws an arrow, Wart is at the edge of the branch, and then topples on Kay as he looses the arrow that darts to the treetops! Kay swings his bow at Wart in anger, but Wart takes cover in the forest. Wart promises to get the arrow and Kay warns him about the wolves. He falls and this gets the attention of a wolf gnawing on a bone. It sneaks after him and Wart finds the arrow climbing the tree as the wolf’s jaws snap behind him! He tries to reach for the arrow, but ends up falling down through Merlin’s roof! Wart ends up in the chair Merlin set for him and a table set for tea. He introduces himself as Arthur, but is called Wart. The hapless, mocking name for the legendary king is a perfect beginning by T.H. White. He thinks Archimedes is stuffed which insults him! The owl flies back to his house and Wart offers him a cup of tea. Archimedes snatches it away.
Wart wonders how Merlin knew he would be there and is stunned when Merlin says he is a wizard! Merlin tells Wart he has been in the future and shows a model of steam locomotive that he fills with his tea pot. The wizard has his magical sugar bowl, a tiny pot, pour some sugar for his guest. Merlin asks if he has had any schooling and Wart says he is learning to be a squire. He is shocked that Wart has not learned history, biology, and Latin! The sugar bowl has shoveled a sugary pile in Merlin’s cup and the wizard chases it away. Merlin says he will be Wart’s tutor and the young squire is about to walk away. He gets Wart’s attention as he casts the spell to get everything packed in “Higitis Figitis.” It is fun magical song with books dancing and shrunk inside Merlin’s carpet bag. The sugar bowl gets in front of the glassware, but causes chaos. Merlin has forgotten his magic words and Wart reminds him. Archimedes is almsot swallowed in the bag and Merlin finishes with an empty house!
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