Sword In The Stone (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Walt Disney reportedly wasn't all that happy with the first application of Xerography, and "The Sword in the Stone" does look sharper and richer than "101 Dalmatians." I'm not enough of a technophile to tell you what adjustments were made, but the process was certainly tweaked . . . and successfully.

Video:
"The Sword in the Stone" is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and with the original theatrical aspect ration at 1.75:1, there hasn't been any tinkering or remastering to upgrade this from previous releases. The picture looks very good, but no different from the previous release, which was also 1.33:1. There's some graininess, but by and large the frames are clean and fairly detailed for a DVD. Colors are bright, and there's no edge distortion.

Audio:
The audio is an English, Spanish, or French Dolby Digital 5.1, which is offers a nice mix and involves the rear FX speakers enough so you never forget they're there and then become startled by a reentry of sounds. The timbre is pleasing, with a nice full-bodied tone, and the treble is bright. The bass isn't as robust as it is on some releases, but it's not flat, either. Subtitles are in French and Spanish.

Extras:
This 45th anniversary edition has the same features as the previous release, plus a few more. Carryovers include "All About Magic," a black-and-white excerpt from the old "Walt Disney Presents" shows, with Disney taking people into the magic prop room. No secrets are revealed, though, and the chief interest is Disney himself. There's also "Music Magic" The Sherman Brothers" which has them introducing us to a song that didn't make the cut, and also documents the brothers' early work for Disney. They would, of course, go on to do the music for "Mary Poppins." Then there's a "Sword in the Stone Scrapbook" which is basically 16 pages of artwork, sketches, and publicity shots. Finally, there are two cartoon shorts, one ("Knight for a Day") starring Goofy, and the other ("Brave Little Tailor") featuring Mickey.

Now, rather than two sing-along songs, there's access to "The Legend of the Sword in the Stone," "Higitus Figitus," "That's What Makes the World Go Round," and "A Most Befuddling Thing," with a play-film-with-lyrics option. Also new are static-info "Film Facts" which gives background on the White book, and a game, "Merlin's Magical Academy Game. The latter combines a trivia contest with hand-eye coordination, with the goal to earn six shield symbols. I have to report that neither on my plasma TV nor on my iMac could I get this game to respond beyond the first level. Bubbles rose, and I was supposed to click on the corresponding arrows--which I did--but nothing happened. So be warned, it might not work for you either.

Bottom Line:
I'm not about to argue that "The Sword in the Stone" belongs on the tail-end of the Golden Age, but I do think it's been underappreciated. My kids watched it with me, and they laughed out loud a number of times. I, meanwhile, appreciated the warmth that this film had compared to "101 Dalmatians." It wasn't a return to gold, but "The Sword in the Stone" seems at least silver.

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---