Disney has done a spectacular job of promoting its princesses. You see little girls everywhere dressed as their favorite princess. At most of the meet and greet eateries there is a cavalcade of princesses marching through and having their photos taken with guests young and old alike. Heck, the first thing you see when you walk into any of the parks is one of the princesses' castles.
This keeps the princess properties alive and well. The oldest Disney animated film from1937 is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. And then in the 50s you have Cinderella, and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. These might have been forgotten but you still see these ladies walking about the parks. Then came Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, none of which would not have been princesses had they not married a prince in the film by the way. Jasmine is not even the central character in Aladdin and yet you are much more likely to spot her around the Disney parks than Aladdin himself.
As good as Disney is at putting their princesses in the spotlight, they do not promote its kings very well. I've already written about the lack of The Emperor's New Groove anywhere. Two other Disney animated films that star a king as its main character and yet you will not find them anywhere throughout the parks are Milo from the often forgotten Atlantis: the Lost Empire and the King of the Apes himself Tarzan. You will maybe spot Simba from The Lion King on a t-shirt at best. And the classic king who there is no sign of in the park; Arthur from The Sword and the Stone.
The Sword and the Stone came out in 1963 and tells the well known legend of King Arthur but from a very interesting perspective. Instead of starting the story when Arthur has ascended the throne and is leading his knights of the round table, this tale starts when Arthur is just a boy named Wart. Wart seems destined for nothing other than to become the apprentice to his foster brother who seeks to become a knight himself. Wart stumbles across the wizard Merlin who knows who the boy will become and decides to give him a proper education.
This education comes in a series of adventures where Merlin turns Arthur into a fish, then a squirrel, and finally a sparrow. Lots of hijinks ensure as the animals in these ecosystems don't know what to make of these strangers. Especially hilarious is a pair of female squirrels who fall in love with Wart and Merlin.
This is not your typical Disney film. There are no musical numbers, no stand out villains, no real central conflict. And this is what I like about it. It takes many unexpected turns such as what Merlin turns himself into to defeat his opponent and when a main character suddenly leaves the story and only returns when the narrative has been resolved. Because of this non-traditional structure the ending kind of sneaks up on you and suddenly just when you think the film is getting to its climax, it ends.
It is a solid entry in the Disney vault and one that should not be forgotten. How hard would it be for one of the Disney parks to have the anvil with the sword sticking out of it for people to try and yank out? Check out this hidden gem on Disney Plus.
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