The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition) | Norman Alden, Sebastian Cabot

The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition) | Norman Alden, Sebastian Cabot | 3 1/2 Stars--Worth It For the Extras

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The Sword in the S...

	The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition) Norman Alden, Sebastian Cabot Walt Disney Video, 2008 average customer review:based on 116 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The box commemorates the anniversary. The contents, not so much.

Well, it has a very nice box. Looks nice on the DVD shelf. And it commemorates the 45th anniversary of one of Walt Disney's least-heralded animated features.

The only new item is a game called "Merlin's Magical Academy Game," which features a very nice vocal recreation in tribute to the late Karl Swenson. There is also a sing-along for every song this time around, as opposed to the two pick-ups from the earlier DVD release from the VHS "Sing Along" series.

One bonus feature is actually shorter than it was in the Gold Collection -- the 1957 "All About Magic" segment from Walt Disney Presents. In the earlier DVD, it was presented in its entirety. On this edition, we only see the opening segment. It fades after Walt introduces the magic mirror.

Bonuses aside, The Sword in the Stone is really much better than it gets credit for. Maybe not a classic, but very entertaining and masterfully animated. And even though the great Sherman Brothers can't really muster much enthusiasm for the finished film in their bonus segment (apparently it took a different direction than they had expected and songs and ideas were omitted), it is the first Disney feature with a Sherman score. To their credit, the songs truly support and advance the story, seamlessly and carefully woven into the action -- a quality often attributed to other Disney films, such as Peter Pan, but never to Sword in the Stone.

The film also features a fine voice cast of actors chosen for their suitability instead of their celebrity, which for better or worse, came to an end with The Jungle Book. Especially outstanding are the radio-trained Junius Matthews, who later played Rabbit in the early Winnie the Pooh films, Martha Wentworth as Mim (I've always wondered if Mim's "beautiful" appearance is a caricature of Mary Blair) and of course Swenson, who also played Lars Henson on Little House on the Prairie.

So if you never bought this on DVD before, it looks and sounds wonderful on this edition, and if bonus features are no big deal to you, it's a ingratiating, underrated Disney gem.

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3 1/2 Stars--Worth It For the Extras

Made in 1963 and based upon the 1938 story of the same name by Terence H. White, THE SWORD IN THE STONE was Disney's attempt to bring the legend of King Arthur under the Disney banner. The film begins with the wizard Merlin talking with his owl, Archimedes. Merlin is awaiting the arrival of a young boy who he wants to train and educate so he is prepared for his exciting future. The boy, nicknamed "Wart", literally falls through Merlin's roof. Merlin immediately begins Wart's education and returns with the boy to the castle where he resides as a squire for the son of his guardian.

THE SWORD IN THE STONE isn't as well known as many other Disney animated features. However, I remember watching the film on television as a child and there were a couple of scenes that stuck out in particular. The first was when Merlin turns himself and Arthur into squirrels. Arthur meets a young female squirrel and while trying to avoid her, causes her to fall in love with him. I'm not sure why, but I found that particular episode fascinating; what would you do if you could magically turn into an animal and a creature of the same species but of the opposite sex wanted to mate with you?

The second scene that stood out to me was the wizards duel between Merlin and the evil witch Mad Madam Mim. Merlin uses magic to help others while Mim uses magic for destruction and to hurt others. The duel is brought to a conclusion with some very creative thinking from Merlin.

Overall, though perhaps not as memorable, fascinating, or memorable as many other animated Disney films, THE SWORD IN THE STONE is an entertaining movie that families with little children can sit and watch together. It does stray from some of the more popular Arthur legends, but it may intrigue youngsters enough to cause them to investigate other Arthur stories. Also, the film is the first Disney animated feature with songs written by Richard and Robert Sherman.

Many Disney Platinum and Anniversary DVDs have been lacking in the extras department. There are actually some really good extras on this disc, especially considering THE SWORD IN THE STONE is a lesser-known Disney picture. There are two wonderful shorts on the disc. The first is "Knight for a Day". It features Goofy in a slightly different form as a medieval squire who has to take over when his knight "disappears" just before a joust. The second cartoon short on the disc is the classic "Brave Little Tailor". This short stars Mickey Mouse as a tailor who after a bit of misinterpretation is sent to slay a giant. If he's successful, the King has promised him riches beyond compare as well as the hand of his true love, Princess Minnie. I remember first reading this story in a volume of Disney storybooks as a child. It was one that stuck with me through the years and I fell in love with the short when I saw it on television years later. "Brave Little Tailor" also has a cameo by Pluto, but not in his now-familiar dog on four legs form.

In addition to these two great shorts, THE SWORD IN THE STONE 45th ANNIVERSARY DVD includes a featurette with the Sherman Brothers discussing and performing the two songs they wrote for the movie, but that were cut. Other extras include a song selection feature; a trivia game about the film entitled "Merlin's Magical Academy Game" that's surprisingly fun to play a few times; a clip of Walt Disney performing magic tricks; and a "making of" featurette.

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Good Disney film-package not exciting

I have always enjoyed this film being a Disney fan.

Good though NOT great.

Being an anniversary edition release on DVD (or the 2cd release of it on DVD) that package however is nothing special.

Only a 1 disc package. NOT a lot of extras. No making of special or anything. Only extra of interest to me is a segment on the Oscar winning Sherman Brothers.

True, this film was not a big box office hit for the studio so you can understand why no real special package here in my opinion.

BUT, the studio did market it for the 45th anniversary so you would think there would have been something more special about this DVD release.

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