There's something about Disney's rendition of the legend of King Arthur that makes it both endearing and dull. As one of the last movies ever done while old Walt was alive, Sword in the Stone is a movie that retains the traditional charm of classic cartoons. Which is odd for the subject matter, yet understandable at the same time since it doesn't have much focus on the actual tale of the King of England...or overall focus in a central plot line.
The movie is basically more about Arthur learning in his years of youth through the teachings of Merlin than the titular sword. It's divided in multiple "lessons" or arcs where Arthur takes a new form or witnesses events that range from the life of a fish, lessons bout technology unavailable at that time period, learning about love, and so on. Like him or hate him, Nostalgia Critic described it right: it's kinda like school. A lot of lessons and not a lot of an overarching plot. Not bad on it's own but I'm not sure that's the best draw for a wide range of audiences.
Easily the best and most emotional part of the movie is the lesson about love. Forget about loads and loads of lore or Nolan speeches to make the audience care for a character, the red squirrel is a brilliant, cute and just heartbreaking character to see, as well as a bold move on Disney for a kid's cartoon. She was pushy, but also endearingly cute, lively and cared for his partner to be, and yet she just showed how despite doing everything apparently "right", there's not always a happy ending. That's an invaluable lesson in life, as people need to be prepared for bad things to happen despite doing things apparently well.
When it comes to the presentation, the movie still holds up..sort of. It has the classic beauty of the classic Disney movies(fluid and complex animation if sketchy in the drawings, gorgeous backgrounds and delicately put together music accompanying the movie) but also the pace of multiple tv shorts put together(it...goes all over the place)
So is it worth watching nowadays? If you're into the world of animation or want a good movie for kids, it certainly is. Not even close to the best animated feature I've seen(Disney or not) but there's enough to love on it.
Disney's Sword in the Stone: the beauties and odds of simplicity
There's something about Disney's rendition of the legend of King Arthur that makes it both endearing and dull. As one of the last movies ever done while old Walt was alive, Sword in the Stone is a movie that retains the traditional charm of classic cartoons. Which is odd for the subject matter, yet understandable at the same time since it doesn't have much focus on the actual tale of the King of England...or overall focus in a central plot line.
The movie is basically more about Arthur learning in his years of youth through the teachings of Merlin than the titular sword. It's divided in multiple "lessons" or arcs where Arthur takes a new form or witnesses events that range from the life of a fish, lessons bout technology unavailable at that time period, learning about love, and so on. Like him or hate him, Nostalgia Critic described it right: it's kinda like school. A lot of lessons and not a lot of an overarching plot. Not bad on it's own but I'm not sure that's the best draw for a wide range of audiences.
Easily the best and most emotional part of the movie is the lesson about love. Forget about loads and loads of lore or Nolan speeches to make the audience care for a character, the red squirrel is a brilliant, cute and just heartbreaking character to see, as well as a bold move on Disney for a kid's cartoon. She was pushy, but also endearingly cute, lively and cared for his partner to be, and yet she just showed how despite doing everything apparently "right", there's not always a happy ending. That's an invaluable lesson in life, as people need to be prepared for bad things to happen despite doing things apparently well.
When it comes to the presentation, the movie still holds up..sort of. It has the classic beauty of the classic Disney movies(fluid and complex animation if sketchy in the drawings, gorgeous backgrounds and delicately put together music accompanying the movie) but also the pace of multiple tv shorts put together(it...goes all over the place)
So is it worth watching nowadays? If you're into the world of animation or want a good movie for kids, it certainly is. Not even close to the best animated feature I've seen(Disney or not) but there's enough to love on it.