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Film Title: The Sword in the Stone

 Best for ages: 6 and up.

Movie Website: Click Here

Year Released: 1963

Rated: G (US) G (CANADA)

SYNOPSIS

   The 1963 Disney Classic The Sword in the Stone was a film that as a child I had a run with while it was on video. It was one of those Disney films I remember renting at the video store more than once when I was younger.  Now on it's forty fifth anniversary Disney has decided to release the classic film on DVD with new bonus features and lots more.

    The Sword in the Stone is about a young boy named Arthur, but many refer to him as Wart. There is a sword that is stuck in a stone and many men have tried to pull it from the stone but with no success. It is believed that the only person who can remove the stone must be pure of heart and have honor, strength and the ability to lead. With the wizard Merlin by his side, Wart removes the sword from the stone. Now with the guidance of the great wizard, Wart is on his way to becoming one of the greatest King's ever to rule England, but there will be plenty of people who want to stop him while Merlin teaches him the ways of magic and the importance of being a leader.

VIOLENCE/GRAPHIC CONTENT/language

   The Sword in the Stone does not have that much in terms of violence or graphic content, but there are a few animated concerns that the film presents that might be an issue for parents with younger children.    There is some comedic mid-evil type fighting, and battle between Merlin and the evil witch Madame Mim, both of whom have a battle of the wands and turn into animals to rival the animal in which their opponent as turned into.  Stuff like this is seen in the film ,but it's nothing to crazy, some younger viewers however, if sensitive might be scared by these scenes or even by the menacing Wolf that in the film.

  On the flipside, the film does do one confusing thing that is more or less a concern of religious and ethical fashions as the use of magic is heavily involved in the film in a somewhat confusing way. Merlin talks with Arthur (Wart) about the responsibility of  the use of magic, however Merlin uses the magic to teach people lessons and does end up using his magic in an unreasonable matter at times. There is also some bickering and people are made fun of in the film, which lead to some mild insults.

OVERALL VIEWS

  The Sword in the Stone, as  I mentioned above was a film I used to watch on video as a kid. Watching it on DVD for the first time and seeing the film for the first time in years really bought back those memories. I particularly love the scene where Merlin battles Madam Mim duel each other and turn into different animals to out do one another. The use of colors in the film has always fascinated me, even when I was young, but now with the technology of DVD, it looks even better. (I can only wonder what it will like on Blu-ray). While the film does have it's up and downs and there are a few elements of the film that may be confusing to some younger viewers, it is a fun movie to watch and it does have a very good message in it. If you look at the character of the Wart he is very unselfish and goes out of his way to put others on the thrown even though he is the rightful heir.

  Many people don't know that this was the last animated feature that was released by Walt Disney Pictures while Walt Disney was alive.  The film was based on the first story of the King Arthur and is the  first book of T.H. White’s tetralogy The Once and Future King. It was also a success in the box office in 1963 and some of the scenes in the film have been reused in other Disney Animated features.

   The DVD has plenty of features including the all new Merlin's Magical Academy Game which is very fun.  There is also some bonus movie shorts, Disney Song Selection and a Magic Music Feature featuring The Sherman Brothers and a plenty more. It a DVD that's well worth getting for your kids who really want to see some of Disney's films from the past. Young boys will defiantly fall in love with this DVD, as it's really marketed towards them.

BUY THIS MOVIE.