Comments on: Disney Canon Countdown 18: ‘The Sword in the Stone’ https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/ Animation News, Reviews, Interviews, Podcasts & Videos! Mon, 25 Dec 2017 02:23:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.4 By: Jordan Briskin https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-37291 Mon, 25 Dec 2017 02:23:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-37291 Pretty much my only complaint about this film is the inconsistency in Wart’s voice, which fluctuates from the decidedly deeper vocals of Rickie Sorensen (at its deepest at the very end, after the climactic withdrawal of the sword from the Stone) and the high pipes of Dick and Bob Reitherman- the brothers of the then-future Mowgli, Bruce. The way Wart’s voice changes not just from one scene to the next, but from one LINE to the next, is quite distracting, to say the least. As an aside, somebody once remarked that the reuse of Wart’s “Whoa, whut, whoa!!” line would make for a great drinking game. (I’m a teetotaler, myself, though…)

Aside from that, I just adore THE SWORD IN THE STONE. The animation is sprightly, the voice acting for the other characters is spot-on (especially Karl Swenson as Merlin, and Martha Wentworth as Madam Mim), the characters are very well-developed*, the songs are lively and fun (with my favorite being arguably the funniest Disney song ever- “Higitus Figitus” [Seriously, I can’t listen to it and keep a straight face!]), and there’s a LOT of good comedy!**

*I must single out Merlin, especially; he could easily have been played as a flawless, imposing being, but in this version, we are reminded that, all-powerful though he may be, he’s, above all, human- he’s forgetful, he makes mistakes, he sometimes loses his cool, and he can be a bit clumsy at times. This makes him a much more interesting character than he would have been otherwise.

**I’d go so far as to rank this with ALADDIN, EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE, and ZOOTOPIA as one of the funniest Disney animated features ever.

]]> By: Jordan Briskin https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-37286 Fri, 22 Dec 2017 22:05:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-37286 Actually, in regards to what killed CHANTICLEER, from what I’ve read, what happened was that Walt and a few executives had come in to see Marc Davis’ story pitch, and before Walt could say anything, one of the executives said, “You can’t make a personality out of a chicken!”, and then stormed out.

]]> By: Jordan Briskin https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-37285 Fri, 22 Dec 2017 21:56:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-37285 In reply to Dan Siciliano.

Yeah, that’s a movie I’d kill to see!

]]> By: Renard N. Bansale https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28626 Sun, 17 Jul 2016 21:14:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28626 Seriously, that Female Squirrel is one of the best characters in all of Disney. Her sequence ends up becoming quite heartbreaking. :*(

]]> By: Dan Siciliano https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28624 Sun, 17 Jul 2016 17:12:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28624 You know…speaking of “Chanticleer”, there’s gotta be a documentary in the style of “Waking Sleeping Beauty” about the top Disney films that never got the green-light with “Kingdom of the Sun” and “Chanticleer” being the biggest talks of the documentary.

]]> By: Míriam https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28616 Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:55:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28616 Great article, you really nailed it! I really like the metaphors you used, like “comfort food movie”, which describes so well how many of us feel about this movie. It’s a fun little movie, with loveable characters and some really nice sequences, like the duel between wizards (which, for me, represents so well the “brain over muscle” type of fight).

]]> By: Dan Siciliano https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28615 Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:53:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28615 In reply to Dan Siciliano.

Not to put in some feedback but just to let you know that there was also more to Walt’s “Camleot” experience.

]]> By: Dan Siciliano https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28614 Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:51:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28614 “On the flip side, Walt came out of Bill Peet’s pitch feeling enthusiastic. He had just seen a production of “Camelot”, an Arthurian musical that was taking Broadway and the theater world by storm. Walt saw the huge profits Camelot was raking in, and he was understandably eager for a piece of the pie….”

CORRECTION NOTE: What Walt also took from “Camleot” was the female lead who would also become his star for “Mary Poppins”, Julie Andrews.

]]> By: Dan Siciliano https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28613 Sat, 16 Jul 2016 02:43:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28613 Agreed!!:)

One of the best examples of the “comfort food movies” you’ve brought up, even though it’s not a true masterpiece. Another “comfort food movie” I can think of is the “Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie”. Also, you should read the original T.H. White book. It’ll make you want to see the film more.

]]> By: Manuel Orozco https://www.rotoscopers.com/2016/07/15/disney-canon-countdown-the-sword-in-the-stone/#comment-28611 Sat, 16 Jul 2016 01:22:00 +0000 http://rotoscopers.com/?p=39968#comment-28611 In reply to Eric Faulkner.

I’m not 100% excited about the live action remake but I may be at some point depending on the cast and crew.

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