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A Dimly Lit Nostalgia

The story differs significantly from what I expected based on the title. The legend of the "Sword in the Stone" only appears at the beginning and end, with a large portion of the film dedicated to the bumbling wizard's "education" of Wart. This storyline feels somewhat disconnected from the main plot and, frankly, not that engaging, so I found the arrangement less than satisfying. However, the duel betweenMerlin and Madam Mim was a delightful surprise, reminiscent of the battle between Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen – a fun, magical showdown!

This is Wolfgang Reitherman's first solo directorial feature. The story, adapted from the first part of "The Once and Future King," largely captures the tone of the original while also maintaining Disney's signature style – even though Walt himself wasn't particularly fond of the film. It's also the second Disney animated film to utilize the Xerox process, holding significant historical value for its aesthetic style, particularly in the texture of its linework.

Merlin really turned this human story into an animal-centric spectacle, and Wart (Arthur) didn't seem to learn much from it. Perhaps Arthur's future as the cuckolded king was preordained; after all, he did break the heart of a certain female squirrel back in the day. Haha!

For kids, it's important for them to watch more fantastic stories like this. Those "Pleasant Goat" cartoons are simply dumbing-down education. I still vaguely remember being very impressed by the female squirrel in the film. I felt very sorry for her. I even fantasized that if I were that young man, I would definitely learn magic, turn her into a young girl, and then marry her... Boyish thoughts are really embarrassing!