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The Sword in the Stone

Play trailer Poster for The Sword in the Stone G 1963 1h 20m Kids & Family Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
65% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
This Disney adaptation of the classic fable chronicles King Arthur's humble beginnings. As an orphaned child, Arthur, who was then known as Wart, wants to help his foster brother, Kay, succeed in becoming a knight. While helping Kay train, Wart stumbles upon a cabin belonging to Merlin, a bumbling but talented wizard. Merlin does his best to convince the boy that he is bound for greatness, and when Wart and Kay travel to London to attend a jousting contest, they learn that Merlin was right.
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The Sword in the Stone

The Sword in the Stone

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Critics Consensus

A decent take on the legend of King Arthur, The Sword in the Stone suffers from relatively indifferent animation, but its characters are still memorable and appealing.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/29/2010
4/5
Delightful classic brings Arthur legend to life. Go to Full Review
Empire Magazine 11/03/2009
3/5
It feels older than contemporary Disney work due to flat, creaky animation. The story still has resonance for kids, though. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 11/03/2009
There is still some life in the characterizations, though the animation is turning stiff and flat. Go to Full Review
Carson Timar ButteredPopcorn 12/23/2023
While Disney has had some misses, few are as obvious and consistent as The Sword in the Stone. Go to Full Review
Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight 10/05/2023
3/4
Those who enjoy Disney animation, as I do (I have all but seven of Disney’s animated features on video cassette), may take special liking to this feature with its crazy villainess, but may feel a bit let down in the plot area. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 09/08/2023
2/4
Aside from the owl Archimedes, none of the characters make any impression whatsoever. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Joel H @786Joel 3d When I was a kid, most of the big Disney animated productions were "girl movies," so I was thrilled to have a "boy movie" like The Sword in the Stone. I wonder if the reason I’m fascinated by Arthurian legend is partly because I watched this film so many times growing up. I love the sequences of Wart being transformed into different animals, and the wizard’s duel between Merlin and Madam Mim is one of my favorite animated sequences of all time. The different scenes can feel a little disjointed at times, and Arthur’s voice changes are somewhat distracting, but hail, King Arthur! Long live the king! See more diogo13 T @Tua_mera Jul 10 A obra exalta o puro charme e a excentricidade característicos do estúdio, mesmo sob restrições orçamentárias. Em vez de uma narrativa épica e densa sobre o Rei Artur, a Disney preferiu focar a infância de "Wart" em formato de comédia de fantasia, embora o ritmo seja um pouco fragmentado. See more Matteo Q @Matteo59 Apr 28 Bello ma a tratti noioso. il miglior personaggio è il mago merlino See more Ben W @Username618 Apr 25 seem to remember I absolutely loved. See more Kyle M @RT77296778 Apr 20 Not quite as spellbinding like its predecessors besides the pleasantly crispy endurance but rather more thoughtful that expresses a tale’s value that’s worth teaching through decent character growth in its own interpretative alignment. (B+) See more Mark D @mdunlop123 Jan 20 Feels like Arthur was an afterthought in his own movie. Merlin and Archimedes take over every scene with Arthur just being a side character in scenes that could have been about his growth and kingly instinct but instead just end up falling flat with some silly nonsense and chaotic montages. After over an hour of scenes of Merlin "teaching" Arthur, Arthur then disappoints Merlin by becoming the Squire for Kay and going to London. It is here with only about 10ish minutes left in the movie that Arthur is trying to find Kay’s sword for the tournament and just so happens to see the Sword in the Stone and pulls it from the stone. He uses NOTHING from his teachings, and everything that Merlin taught him had absolutely nothing to do with Arthur retrieving the sword. He simply just pulls it out of the rock and now he’s king. If Merlin had never come around then the same events would have still transpired and he’d have been king which makes me scream, "What the hell was the point of all this?" See more Read all reviews
The Sword in the Stone

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Movie Info

Synopsis This Disney adaptation of the classic fable chronicles King Arthur's humble beginnings. As an orphaned child, Arthur, who was then known as Wart, wants to help his foster brother, Kay, succeed in becoming a knight. While helping Kay train, Wart stumbles upon a cabin belonging to Merlin, a bumbling but talented wizard. Merlin does his best to convince the boy that he is bound for greatness, and when Wart and Kay travel to London to attend a jousting contest, they learn that Merlin was right.
Director
Wolfgang Reitherman
Producer
Walt Disney
Screenwriter
Bill Peet
Distributor
Buena Vista Distribution Co. Inc.
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 1963, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 23, 2013
Runtime
1h 20m