The Sword in the Stone

Play trailer

The Sword in the Stone

G

Released Dec 25, 1963

1h 20m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

32 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Delightful classic brings Arthur legend to life.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 29, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

It feels older than contemporary Disney work due to flat, creaky animation. The story still has resonance for kids, though.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 3, 2009

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

There is still some life in the characterizations, though the animation is turning stiff and flat.

Nov 3, 2009

Full Review

Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

While Disney has had some misses, few are as obvious and consistent as The Sword in the Stone.

Dec 23, 2023

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

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.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 5, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aside from the owl Archimedes, none of the characters make any impression whatsoever.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 8, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Nick S

the plot progression is super slow then sudden end. It's a bit boring and the villain isn't developed enough.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

Full Review

Ryan L

My very favorite Disney movie as a kid. Watched it recently, and loved it the same as I did before. It's funny and witty, and yes the animation isn't quite as good as others, but it is sill my favorite.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

Full Review

Dave C

A solid Disney offering, but one that's often underrated. The main characters are memorable and have some great foibles and phrases. One I've watched more in recent years, owing to it being one of my partner's favourites

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/18/24

Full Review

Ryland C

I know people aren’t a fan of this movie but Disney outright said that it was one of their most iconic. With that said I actually really love this movie. It may not tell the story of King Arthur too well but at least they were at least trying to do something new with the fairy tale so who cares? It tells a really great message about how it’s important to have goals in life and it’s explained well. Merlin himself is a very iconic Disney character and is very memorable. The animation is pretty good too. And the Wizard duel is just…. Chefs kiss. Really great. Only 2 negatives though. 1. Like I said it didn’t necessarily explain the King Arthur story too well and 2. Yeah, the ending was actually kinda messed up. But overall, really great movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/24/24

Full Review

Ryan C

One of the best Disney movies of all times, I have watched this hundreds of times in my lifetime and my kids have carried on the tradition, love this one!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

Full Review

Jose G

Although the weakest of Walt's full length animated movies, it's still great fun. As with contemporaries "Sleeping Beauty" and "One Hundred and One Dalmatians", the animation is bright, boldly colored and stylized. The wizards' duel between Merlin and Madame Mim is a highlight, as is the ending when young Arthur pulls the titular sword from the stone and becomes the King of England.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Wolfgang Reitherman

Director

Sebastian Cabot

Sir Ector

Rickie Sorensen

Wart

Alan Napier

Sir Pelinore

Karl Swenson

Merlin

Norman Alden

Sir Kay

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Peter Pan

78%

80%

Peter Pan

Watchlist

Alice in Wonderland

84%

78%

Alice in Wonderland

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Alice in Wonderland

Sleeping Beauty

90%

80%

Sleeping Beauty

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Sleeping Beauty

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

88%

71%

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Watchlist

The Phantom Tollbooth

100%

76%

The Phantom Tollbooth

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

An Emoji Movie Is Coming, Jurassic World Gets a Sequel, and LeBron James Could Star in Space Jam 2

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now