Editorial Product Review:Amazon.com:Based upon T.H. White's beloved novel, this Disney-fied version chronicles the tutoring of the Once and Future King, Arthur, as handled by the magician Merlin.
Sword was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upbraiding storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. But there's much to enjoy here as Merlin shows Newt, the young Arthur, things that will help him become the ruler of the Britons. The transformation sequences, where the boy is turned into a fish, a bird, and a squirrel are vintage Disney. The oft-repeated scene of Merlin battling it out with the mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it belies the problem with most of the film--the scenes are only there for the chuckles. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Children will like it, but they won't cherish it.
--Keith Simanton
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Buyer Reviews
Average Buyer Rating:
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Not a classic, but mildly entertaining
WARNING! Spoiler Alert - Am I the only one who feels sorry for that cute little female squirrel that becomes infatuated with the transformed young Arthur only to have her heart broken when he's turned human again? As silly as this may seem, this is the one reason why I do NOT like this film. Yes, there is a tough life lesson to be learned in this sequence and yes it is a testament to the effectiveness of Disney's storytelling and animation, but c'mon! Maybe the scene would've lost its poignancy if the story allowed for another male squirrel to be smitten with the heartbroken female, but ask yourself, would you have enjoyed "Dumbo" as much if his mom was never released from her cage? Apples to oranges, I know.
Anyway, other than my gripe about the aformentioned scene, I thought this was a fun movie overall. The animation is typical of Disney's high standards even though I thought the songs were a bit lackluster. Not in the same league as "Peter Pan" or "Alice In Wonderland," but not as bad as "The Black Cauldron" either.
If Disney ever does the smart thing and decides to start releasing traditionally animated features again, they should do right by that squirrel and get her a boyfriend!
Customer Rating: 
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Have always loved this movie
I bought this movie for my boys so we could have movie time with a movie I approved of. I watched it with my brothers when I was young and I wanted my boys to have those same great memories.
Customer Rating: -
Liked it since I was a kid
If you've always liked Disney Classics then this is a must have. The Sword in the Stone has and will always captivate the child in me.
Customer Rating: -
Top shelf edition of bottom shelf Disney
This is a wonderfully produced release of one of the weaker full-length films produced during Walt Disney's lifetime. I know that doesn't mesh with many of the reviews here, but I just find very little to enjoy in this particular film. There is no real story, with a particularly weak script by the usually marvelous Bill Peet (the most versatile individual from the Golden Age of Disney, sometimes designing characters, sometimes writing screenplays, sometimes directing). The film consists of a series of largely unconnected vignettes where Merlin is ostensibly educating the future King Arthur. I did not care for this film when I was a small child and I find that I haven't come to care for it as an adult.
On the other hand, I'm sure that many kids will get a huge blast out of this. One of my daughter's favorite Disney films as a small child was ROBIN HOOD, which is probably my least favorite Disney film ever.
Certainly this release makes the film look more beautiful than it ever has before for home viewing. This was one of the first films I watched on my new high def TV and I was just delighted with how vivid the colors were. As with most Disney rereleases there were also many interesting special features.
I would, however, only recommend this to someone who is a bit of a completist, dedicated to owning all of the Disney films on DVD. There are just so many other films that one ought to own first. Not counting collections of short subjects, there must be a solid fifteen to twenty DVDs that one would want to collect before this one. Still, I'm sure almost any kid will love it. I'm just not confident that most adults will.