Voices of Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorensen, and Junius Matthews
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman
Let's travel to merry old England for something a little less hectic. T.H White's novel about Arthur before he became king was optioned by Disney way back in 1939, but Disney didn't really get to working on it until the 1950's. Walt finally approved of it after the success of the stage musical Camelot in 1960. It took so long, the boy they originally had playing Arthur went into puberty and was replaced by Reitherman's sons. How well do they all do with the story of how Arthur goes from a kitchen boy to king of England? We begin with a lovely book and a narrator (Cabot) explaining about the legend of the Sword In the Stone and why the kingdom is at war as we find out...
The Story: Arthur, or "Wart," (Sorensen and Reitherman) literally falls into the home of Merlin the Wizard (Swenson) while searching for his adopted brother Kay's (Norman Alden) lost arrow. Merlin and his highly educated owl Archimedes (Matthews) go home with him, to the annoyance of Arthur's guardian Sir Ector (Cabot), who doesn't trust magic of any kind. Merlin wants to teach Arthur everything he'll need to know as an adult, and turns him into a fish and a squirrel to do it. Turning him into a bird leads to an encounter with the devious Madam Mim (Martha Wentworth), a genuine black sorceress.
Ector approves of neither the lessons, nor Arthur being taken away from his chores to do them. He gives another boy the role of Kay's squire. Arthur ends up being his squire and going with him to London anyway when the child takes sick. This time, it's Merlin who doesn't approve, but that New Year's Day trip will have more important consequences for Arthur and England than the result of a mere tournament.
The Animation: This is firmly in the rough Xerox "thick line" style that was popular at Disney from the 60's through the late 80's. It's not the best Disney ever did, but it does have some charms. The backgrounds are meticulously detailed, especially during Arthur and Merlin's adventures under the moat and in the woods, and the characters move well enough.
The Song and Dance: Cabot and Swenson's decent performances anchor Disney's only foray into the Arthurian legends to date. The Sherman Brothers really have fun with their trademark made-up words here with a memorable song revolving around Merlin's spells, and another for Madam Mim. Speaking of Mim, she really steals the show. Her "Wizard's Duel" with Merlin has long been my favorite part of the film. The back and forth between the two magicians - and the hilarious ending - are a riot. Wentworth has such a ball being bad and plays beautifully off Swenson.
Favorite Number: We open with Fred Darian singing the title song as we learn about how the Sword In the Stone came to be, and why no one has pulled it out yet. "Higitus Figitus" is Merlin's tongue-twisting spell song as he uses his magic to pack his entire household in a single carpetbag...including Archimedes' birdhouse! Merlin uses "That's What Makes the World Go 'Round" under the moat to explain physics and animal instinct to Arthur. The song is ended prematurely when a large, toothy pike decides Arthur would be a great dinner. He also tries to explain that love is "A Most Befuddling Thing" when the pretty girl squirrel chases Arthur all around the tree. "Mad Madam Mim" explains everything her magic can do, make her beautiful or uglier or into any animal she wants.
Trivia: This was originally supposed to be a bit darker, and more of a musical. Three songs were cut; one, "Blue Oak Tree," has a tiny bit left that's performed by Cabot and Alan Napier as they celebrate Kay's knighthood.
I'm not the only one who loves Madam Mim. She eventually became a popular villain in the Disney comics. She's especially big in parts of Italy and Denmark, where she's apparently played as more naughty or mischievous than genuinely evil. And this would be Martha Wentworth's last film; she retired shortly after its completion.
The last animated film Disney personally produced.
Supposedly, there's a live-action remake and a spin-off focusing on Merlin in development.
What I Don't Like: First of all, there's a lot more to Arthur and Merlin's adventures in the book this is based on. They originally turned into three more animals and met Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Sir Ector and Kay were a little kinder to Arthur as well; here, Kay in particular comes off as a jerk to his adopted brother. Honestly, the story isn't the strongest in the book, either. This is supposed to be a coming-of-age tale, but it meanders and wanders into sequences (like the Wizard's Duel) that have nothing to do with anything.
Second, I wish they could have found one kid to play Arthur! Yes, I understand about puberty, but the three boys' voices sound totally different, which means Arthur's voice fluctuates in tone and deepness from scene to scene, or even from minute to minute. He's also the only actor who doesn't attempt an English accent, likely due to being played by a real kid. It's really distracting.
The Big Finale: While not Disney's absolute best, it is a nice introduction to Arthur's life before becoming king for kids and a good starter Disney movie for elementary-school-age boys who might be put off by the girlier aspects of some of their other animated movies.
Home Media: This was taken out of the "Vault" for good back in the early 2000's. It's now easy to find on streaming (including on Disney Plus with a subscription) and on disc, often for under $10.
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