The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood Coming to Blu-ray on 6th August

After recently announcing The Little Mermaid, Oliver and Company and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Disney still isn't done releasing their catalogue titles just yet. They have recently announced the release of two more films: The Sword in the Stone (1963) and Robin Hood (1973).

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #18: The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #17: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

The Sword in the Stone was the last film Walt was alive to see, and is also his weakest (not counting the anthology films). The story of King Arthur's beginnings is retooled here as series of lessons to the future king, and while many moments are amusing and charming, the pacing is  sometimes uneven, making the film a little bit slower than expected. The animation lacks the grandeur of past films but the character animation is excellent. And, while the protagonist is not very interesting, the supporting players (mainly Merlin, Archimedes and Madame Mim) are a delight from beginning to end and help elevate the picture from its uneven rhythm. Plus, the epic battle between Merlin and Madame Mim is one of the most memorable and beautifully animated sequences in all of animated film. All in all, The Sword in the Stone may not be an instant Disney classic but has enough charm and magic to delight young and old audiences. Rating: 4/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #19: The Jungle Book (1967)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Silver Age (Part 2) Introduction

Silver Age (1950-1977)
The 60s

Overview

After a very productive decade, Walt entered the 60s as a very established personality. Disneyland was fully operational and plans for Walt Disney World had started, he was a TV personality, and the five films released in the 50s were mostly well-regarded and turned out profits (except for Sleeping Beauty which was the most expensive film Walt ever made). But because Sleeping Beauty failed to recoup its monumental budget, the studio was in financial trouble yet again and, in order to keep it afloat, the animation department developed a new technique called Xerography were the animation sheets were processed and coloured automatically without the aid of the ink & paint department. While this technique made the animator's work more visible, this also meant that the ink & paint department closed, laying off many people and concluding a beautiful animation era. Nonetheless, the three films that were released in this decade are full of charm and at least two of them are regarded as classics nowadays. These three films were the last ones that had Walt’s touch before his unfortunate death in 1966.

Tomorrow: Animated Classic #17 Review: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)