The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)

The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The 18th Disney animated feature film, it is based on T. H. White's novel of the same name, which was published as a standalone novel in 1938 and then revised and republished in 1958 as the first book of White's Arthurian tetralogy The Once and Future King. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, the film features the voices of Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews, Sebastian Cabot, Norman Alden, and Martha Wentworth. It was the last animated film from Walt Disney Productions to be released before Walt Disney's death on December 15, 1966.
Disney first acquired the film rights to the novel in 1939, and there were various attempts at developing the film over the next two decades before production on the film officially began. Bill Peet wrote the story for the film, while the songs were written by the Sherman Brothers. This was the first animated Disney film to feature songs by the Sherman Brothers; they would go on to contribute music to such Disney films as Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). George Bruns composed the film's score, following his work on the previous two animated Disney films (Sleeping Beauty (1959) and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)). He would also compose the scores of the next three animated Disney films (The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Robin Hood (1973)).
The film received mixed reviews, but it became a box-office success. It was re-released to theaters on March 25, 1983, on a double bill with the animated cartoon short Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. A live-action remake entered development in 2015 and is set to be directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and released on Disney+.
Category:Films
Category:1963 Films