The Sword in the Stone 1963 Film

Within the 1963 Disney film (1) The Sword in the Stone, there are many contributions that reflect back on the medieval King Arthur stories. Showing that medievalism exists in today's world.

General comparisons:

(2) Ector is in complete disbelief that Arthur pulled the sword out.

The film starts off showing the death of the King of England and no heir in his place thus presenting a problem of there not being a king. The answer is, that whoever can pull the sword from the stone is the new King of England, all the people considered this a miracle. However, they were soon to be disappointed when not a single person was able to pull the sword out and the miracle was soon forgotten. This ties into the real medieval stories concerning the fact that Arthur is the son of Uther Pendragon. Arthur's proper heritage to be the next in line to become the rightful King and plays into the idea of his orphanage. In the film, Arthur is just a scrawny teenage boy, who believes he’ll never account for anything more than hopefully a squire for Sir Kay. The medieval stories concerning Arthur's time before becoming King are along the same playing field. At the end of the film when all the nobles chanted King Arthur, it shows that they all accepted the destiny of him becoming King and even Kay and Ector begged for his forgiveness. The photo above is pulled from the film when Ector begs for Arthur to forgive him. The same idea is presented in the original stories on how the rest of England accepted and respected Arthur. Although there are some added ideas and typical Disney bonuses the main points in this story does a great representation of the medieval sword in the stone story.  

Sir Kay:

(3) Sir Kay is made out to be a strong Knight whereas Arthur is just a teenage boy, shown in this picture taken from the film. 

Right away in the film, I figured that the muscular and seemingly airhead character was going to be Sir Kay and I was delighted to discover this truth. The stories, including Sir Kay in them, are very similar to the way he is presented throughout the entirety of the film. Sir Kay is said to be Arthur's foster brother and the film does a great job of making this comparison very real to the way that modern-day people view step-siblings. It is clear that Sir Kay is favored way more than Arthur but at the end of the day, Kay is respectful of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and becoming the King. One important difference between the film and the actual sword in the stone story is that Arthur had grown up believing that he was Ector’s biological son in the real story, and only at this point was it discovered that he was in fact not. On the contrary, most people are aware of this fact well into understanding the stories since it is what makes King Arthur so special, so in the film, they get right to the point about him being an orphan to avoid having to tell all the details regarding his biological parents. To this day Sir Kay’s story includes him making occasional questionable decisions but he is always known for being one of the first knights at the round table. 

Merlin's role:

Throughout the film, Merlin is shown to be the most powerful witch in all the world especially when he defeats Madam Mim. I have no recognition of Madam Mim being mentioned in the stories we have read up to this point, so I believe this is an added aspect of the story that Disney made to add to the plot. One of the major reasons that Merlin is so powerful is because he uses his knowledge and brain over his physical power. Merlin teaches these skills to Arthur and argues that it does not matter how small or weak you may seem, intelligence will always be the most important trait to carry. The education that Merlin teaches Arthur can be referred back to the original King Arthur stories about his upbringing. Arthur is said to be an orphan in the film, very similar to his actual life story told throughout medieval times.  

Below is a (4) YouTube clip showing Merlin's personality throughout the film. Specifically his focus on educating Arthur.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVsfIU3zpvM

 

Another interesting factor to consider about Merlin’s character throughout the film is the idea that he is a wizard who sees into the future. Merlin often makes references to things that today's popular culture is very aware of, like electricity, plumbing, and much more but the other characters in the film - the medieval characters - have no idea. Disney does a great job representing Merlin's character to fit the demands of today’s world, while also being conscious to represent the medieval world. Merlin says at one point in the film, “one big medieval mess” referring to the everlasting challenges of the time period. Another comical reference is made towards the very end of the film when Merlin is telling Arthur that there will be books written about him for centuries to come and presents the idea of there being a motion picture one day - hence the Disney movie. Some audience members watching the film may have no idea the references that Disney is making, but if you know the medieval King Arthur stories it is very easy to connect the dots.
 

Pulling the sword out of the stone:

In the medieval stories, it is said that teenage Arthur pulls the sword out of the stone while he is serving as a squire for Kay in an effortless manner. When doing so Arthur had no idea of the significance that it would bring nor the fact that every person before him had failed. According to different authors of the stories, this sword in the stone scene occurs in either London or more generally in Logres. The idea of Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone is all backed up by his true biology as well as the assistance of Merlin teaching him the ways of life. 

In the film, this scene is portrayed in a very similar way that it is almost shockingly spot on to how I have retrieved the story. Arthur is sent to London as Kay's squire but that was not originally the case. The only reason this occurred was because Hobbs, the squire who was originally supposed to go with Kay fell sick. The tournament that they were attending was supposed to reveal who the next King of England would be since up to that point no one was able to pull the sword from the stone. Arthur realizes he has forgotten Kay’s sword and runs off to find it, coming across the sword in the stone. When Arthur places his hand on the sword a light shines down from the sky, proving that he is the chosen one and he effortlessly takes the sword. Once other knights discover where Arthur had got the sword, they make him go back and pull it out again. No other knight is able to pull out the sword, hence revealing that teenage Arthur is the King of all of England. Although Disney put their own spin on the overall story and added a lot of childlike entertainment, this scene is exactly like the overall main story. Making the message ever so clear to the entire audience.  

Below is a (5) YouTube clip of the exact scene showing Arthur pulling out the sword from the film. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFLmxWJL-ZU

Works Cited: 

1. The Sword in the Stone. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 25 Dec. 1963. 

2. “- Ooh, Forgive Me, Son. - Hail King Arthur.” Yarn, https://y.yarn.co/1cff1d43-c672-4398-9826-ad1690ff4f34_screenshot.jpg. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

3. “Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. The Sword and the Stone.” The Avocado, https://i0.wp.com/the-avocado.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/The-Sword-in-the-Stone-1963-Disney-Merlin-King-Arthur-13.jpg?resize=720%2C498&ssl=1. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023. 

4. “The Sword In The Stone(1963) - Wart Becomes King Arthur” YouTube, uploaded by MOV Clips, 2 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVsfIU3zpvM. 

5. “The Sword In The Stone(1963) - Teaching The Wart Knowledge” YouTube, uploaded by MOV Clips, 28 Apr. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFLmxWJL-ZU.