Very little has been written about the Disney animated feature film, The Sword in the Stone (1963). Disney fans do not hate the film, but it certainly doesn't make it into anyone's top 10 lists either.
While the film did make a profit and received some good reviews, perhaps the major challenge was that a story and its hero are often defined by the villain that has to be overcome.
There is no clear or threatening villain in the film. Certainly the exhausted and clumsy wolf is no real danger. Sir Kay is an obtuse lout, but he doesn't prevent Wart from really doing anything. Mad Madam Mim is entertaining and certainly as adept a wizard as Merlin but, once again, she doesn't offer any credible threat and disappears from the story after a delightful sequence. The fearsome pike in the moat provides a momentary instance of danger but never reappears.
In addition, it is a foregone conclusion that the young boy will eventually pull out the fabled sword and become king so the journey to that moment has to be interesting and full of surprises to hold an audience's interest. The film is more a collection of sequences than a straight narrative that builds to a climax.
It was the first Disney animated feature to have songs by Richard and Robert Sherman. It was the first Disney animated feature to be directed by just one director, Wolfgang Reitherman. It was only the second Disney animated feature to be entirely written by just one storyman, Bill Peet, who had previously done the same on 101 Dalmatians (1961).
“Walt [Disney], the wizard, never knew that I patterned Merlin the magician after him when I wrote the script,” remembered storyman Bill Peet when interviewed by John Province. “In his book, T.H. White describes the wizard as a crusty old curmudgeon, argumentative and temperamental, playful at times, and extremely intelligent. Walt was not quite a curmudgeon and he had no beard, but he was a grandfather and much more a character, and in my drawings of Merlin, I even borrowed Walt's nose and raised eyebrow.”
“Milt Kahl balked at drawing my Merlin,” he said. “He took all the illustrated King Arthur books out of the library to check out the Merlins—always tall, austere figures with long black beards and star-spangled robes. But Walt liked my Merlin, not knowing of course that it was my version of him.”
The Sherman brothers came up with the magical phrase “Higitus figitus prestidigitonium” by figuring the name “Higgenbottom” sounded English and a Medieval magical phrase should have an influence of Latin. They had actually wanted Merlin to sing one of the songs they wrote that was never used called The Magic Key about the importance of a “noggin full of knowledge.”
Merlin fron Sword in the Stone fights Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty in this Floyd Norman sketch. Storyman Bill Peet based the wizard off of Walt Disney.
“The song Higitus Figitus was written to both establish Merlin's bumbling character and to advance the story line of the film,” said Robert Sherman. “That's something you don't get to do when just writing popular songs.”
Walt obtained the rights to T.H. White's book in 1939 and began work on it in 1949, but work really didn't progress until Peet picked it up almost a decade later.
Merlin is the only character from that animated feature who appeared in the Disney theme parks. He officiated the well-loved Sword in the Stone ceremony in front of the carousel where a guest is selected to draw the fabled sword from the anvil stone — just like the young Arthur.
The show began at Disneyland in summer 1983. Variations of this show were performed at the Magic Kingdom in Florida from 1993-2006, as well as at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. I was fortunate enough to be a “friend” of Merlin in 1995.
A wizard's duel between Merlin and Madam Mim dark ride was originally considered for the Magic Kingdom in 1971 as a substitute for the Snow White Scary Adventures attraction, but was later rejected by Roy O. Disney who felt that guests wanted to see some of the same attractions as Disneyland.
When I had the opportunity to recently talk with Disney Legend Floyd Norman about the film, I eagerly took advantage of having him share his memories of working on the film.
Floyd Norman is an animator who worked on the Walt Disney animated features Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book, as well as various animated short projects at Disney in the late 1950s and early 1960s. After Walt Disney's death in 1966, Norman left the Disney Studio to run his own short-lived animation studio, as well as work at a variety of different animation studios, including Hanna-Barbera.
He returned to Disney in the early 1970s to work on the Disney animated feature Robin Hood and several projects for Disney Publishing, including the Mickey Mouse comic strip. He contributed creatively as a story artist on films such as Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Mulan, Dinosaur, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame among others. He continues to work for the Walt Disney Company as a freelance consultant on various projects. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2007.
Norman's book chronicling his career is titled Animated Life: A lifetime of tips, tricks, techniques and stories from an animation Legend (Focal Press 2012) and he was the subject of the documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life (2016). A collection of his cartoons Son of Faster Cheaper (Theme Park Press 2015) that includes his time at Disney is also available.
On Saturday, September 30, I got to talk with Norman both on and offstage at the Disneyana Fan Club event in Anaheim, California. For that morning's breakfast to entertain the attendees, I was dressed as Merlin the magician and performed as I did many years ago at Walt Disney World's Fantasyland. I even interviewed him as Merlin, inspired by the often-neglected Disney animated feature, The Sword in the Stone and he drew some special artwork for the club featuring Merlin and Wart.
The interview focused specifically on Norman's work on that film where he was the assistant to Disney Legend Milt Kahl who animated Merlin and Mad Madam Mim.
The following is a compilation of his conversation with me both on and off stage about that film minus my questions and comments and includes some additional material from Norman that he wrote for his blog.
“Originally, The Sword in the Stone (1963) was supposed to follow Sleeping Beauty (1959) but Walt wisely felt they seemed too similar in style so decided there needed to be something that was different. (Storyman) Bill Peet had been working on The Sword in the Stone and shifted to 101 Dalmatians (1961) that he wrote by himself and it was very popular at the box office.
“As work was wrapping up on Sleeping Beauty, I received my draft notice and served in the United States Army in Korea. I returned to the Disney Studios in 1960 and some people didn't realize I had even been gone. I guess they thought I had taken a long vacation or something. Of course, animators were always coming and going and after Sleeping Beauty there had been a major downsizing of staff.
“I ended up getting to work a bit on the very end of production on 101 Dalmatians on the car chase scene. While the next feature was being developed, most of us shifted over to working on the television show and introducing the character of Ludwig Von Drake.
“Milt Kahl had designed the character and Walt was punishing Ward Kimball by sending him back to animate on the character. I did assistant animation work for both of them on Von Drake and enjoyed it.
“While Peet was quietly still working on The Sword in the Stone, Marc Davis and Ken Anderson were working on the story of Chanticleer and the Fox. They had worked on the presentation for months before the pitch to Walt and had filled the walls with some of the most inspired Disney art seen in years. It would have been unlike any other Disney animated feature.
“The pitch meeting lasted two or three hours. Everyone assumed it would be a slam dunk. At the end of the meeting, Walt finally said something to the effect of 'Nobody loves a chicken' and the project was killed just like that. Once Walt made up his mind, there was no further discussion. Marc Davis put down his animation pencil and moved over to WED.
“The Walt Disney Studio was still feeling the financial pinch and the money man, Roy O. Disney, made it clear only one motion picture could move into production. I can't help but have the feeling Walt Disney had already made up his mind when he walked into the Chanticleer meeting.
“He was looking for a film that could be done quickly and less expensively like Dumbo and that wouldn't have been the case with Chanticleer. I am sure the popularity of the Broadway musical Camelot at the time was also influential in his making the choice.
“The Sword in the Stone was adapted and storyboarded solely by Walt's story master, Bill Peet, who had done the same on 101 Dalmatians. As usual, Disney gave Peet a good deal of freedom in the scripting of the film, and looking back he may have regretted that decision since the animated film suffered from more than a few story problems.
“All this would come to a head on Walt's next movie, The Jungle Book (1967) where Disney and Peet would clash on the direction of the story, and Bill would leave the studio never to return.
“So with the decision made on the next animated feature, the attention shifted over to working on The Sword in the Stone. Naturally, most of the key animators and their assistants would be located in D-wing on the first floor of the Animation Building.
“Milt Kahl was not simply a presence in D-wing; he was a force. He was known as the Dragon of D-wing or The Terror of D-wing. His arrival every morning was evident by the sound of the wing's hallway door slamming open and the sound of heavy footsteps as the tall Dutchman stomped down the hall to his office. Not much was heard from Kahl until coffee break when his key assistant, Stan Green fetched coffee and a select few joined the boss as he held court in his spacious office.
“Once break time ended, it was back to work until lunch when Milt enjoyed a game of chess with fellow animators, Amby Paliwoda or Freddy Hellmich. Milt was demanding in every area of his life and losing a chess game was no exception. Loud, colorful language filled the wing and the sound of chess pieces flying across the room was a sure indication that the master animator had lost another game.
“Milt Kahl was a brilliant draftsman and a stellar animator. It was well known Kahl did not suffer fools and woe be to those who failed to please the master animator. However, kids like me followed orders back in the 1960s even though I was initially very scared to be told I was to be his assistant.
“Kahl was well known for his insistence on the best in every scene he animated. He demanded solid draftsmanship and hated those who took shortcuts. Milt Kahl had an unkind word for those Disney artists. He called them, 'lazy bastards' all the time. 'They must have gotten rid of all the good assistants', I thought to myself when I was told I would be moving over to assist him.
“Should you find yourself lucky enough to work in D-wing you had better know the rules. Rule No. 1: Never, ever disturb Milt Kahl while he was working. Milt focused in on his drawings like a laser. The slightest sound would likely prove a distraction and the irascible animator would soon visit those who talked too loudly or dared to crank up the radio.
“I still remember the sight of an annoyed Milt Kahl standing at our office door. His tall hulking frame filled the doorway as he shouted, 'Where's that blankety-blank noise coming from?' From then on, music lovers in D-wing were advised to invest in headphones.
“Milt Kahl's approach to work was as unique as everything else in his life. I would often pass his office door and see him sitting at his desk staring into space. Hours would pass and Kahl would not have made a single drawing. Then as if by magic, he would pick up his pencil and fill several pages with inspired sketches. It was as though the scene was already completed in his head. All Milt had to do was transfer those images to paper.
“He worked with incredible efficiency and wasted not a single drawing. Even the lines on his paper were chosen carefully. At the end of the day, young scavengers would raid the animator's waste baskets for discarded drawings. A late night visit to Kahl's office would often prove fruitless. Milt's waste basket was usually empty. One might be tempted to conclude the master animator simply never made a bad drawing.
“Milt Kahl continued to animate brilliantly throughout the 1970s, but it was clear he was growing disenchanted with the post-Walt Disney studio. Stan Green continued to fetch coffee and a new group of young artists such as Andreas Deja and Glen Keane sought his council at break time.
“The Walt Disney studio was now moving in a new direction and Milt Kahl had finally had enough of the 'new' Disney. In the 1970s leadership vacuum, arrogant young animation upstarts began to make their move to control the studio's animated product and Kahl was having no part of this nonsense. He eventually gave his notice to CEO Ron Miller and headed out the door. One might have expected the Disney management to plead with the master animator to reconsider his decision. Then again, this is hardly the same studio Walt built.
“Despite my initial fears, during my nearly two years on The Sword in the Stone I didn't have one falling out with the Disney Legend and working for Milt proved to be a delight. Naturally, I can't tell you how much I learned about drawing and animation after working with Kahl. I also found out that the fearsome directing animator also had a sense of humor and his booming laugh could fill the hallway of D-Wing.
“I assisted Milt Kahl along with others, like Stan Green, and I even had an office in the coveted D-Wing. It was the only Disney animated feature that I worked on from the very beginning through the very end.
“As Bill [Peet]'s storyboards were approved by Walt and director Woolie Reitherman, they went straight into the music room [director]'s office and into production. John Lounsbery was one of the first to begin animating the early scenes and he was followed by Milt Kahl. Bill had done some character designs but Kahl refined them.
“Stan Green's office was down the hallway closer to Milt. Stan had his own office because Milt Kahl preferred his privacy and liked to work alone. Of course, he would often summon Stan with a gruff shout, and poor Stan would leap from his desk and sprint into Kahl's office. It was times like these I was grateful I was separated by several rooms and nowhere near Milt Kahl. Stan would literally shake because he was so scared.
“One of the ways I managed to stay on Milt's good side was by drawing wacky cartoons about his D-wing colleagues that made him laugh. One of the animation scenes I picked up was the scene where young Wart (soon to become King Arthur) pulls the sword out of the stone. The scene was completed decades ago, but somehow it seems like yesterday.
“Milt Kahl masterfully staged this final scene. The simplicity and design of the scene reveals a true master at work and it was an honor for this 20-something kid to follow up a true Disney Legend.
“Hand-drawn traditional Disney animation was a real craft in those days and demanded a great deal of talent from a group of amazing artists. Those Disney masters will be remembered forever because their art was created using only pencil and paper.
“Unlike the other Nine Old Men I met, the bombastic Milt Kahl arrived in grandiose style befitting his expansive persona. As I said, each morning the outer hallway door would slam open and the master animator would stomp down the hallway to his office. Milt would settle into his office chair but not before hurling a few choice insults at his colleagues down the hall. It was his way of saying, 'good morning' I guess.
“Milt was legendary for his temper tantrums and many a Disney artist had the misfortune of disappointing the master. Kahl did not mince words when he felt you had done a shoddy job. Milt never once admitted he was the best. 'I just work harder than the rest of those lazy bastards,' he would often reply.
“I still gleefully remember a confrontation with little Joan Drake and Milt Kahl. Kahl was intent on bawling out his young assistant, and he read her the riot act. The young woman looked at him and laughed in his face. The fearsome animator simply wilted on the spot. His face dropped and he turned and stomped back to his office clearly defeated.”
Next week: Floyd shares more stories, including the Disney layout artist who was the inspiration for the sexy version of Mim, the impact of Walt Peregoy as a background artist, and animator John Lounsbery's little-known contribution to the film.
