7 | / 10 |
Users | 2.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard named Merlin in order to become king.
Starring: Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorensen, Junius Matthews, Martha WentworthFamily | 100% |
Animation | 87% |
Adventure | 56% |
Fantasy | 47% |
Musical | 44% |
Comedy | 42% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.75:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.75:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps)
French: DTS-HD HR 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Russian: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (as download)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 1.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Thanks to the August 6th Blu-ray debuts of The Sword in the Stone (1963), Robin Hood (1973) and Oliver & Company (1988), only fourteen theatrically released Disney Animated Classics remain, two of which -- The Little Mermaid and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh -- are already set to arrive later this year. It's hard to believe that just five years ago the beautifully remastered release of Sleeping Beauty (followed by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 2009) hinted at a then faraway, now closer than ever future in which Disney's entire animated features canon is available in high definition. No, the Mouse House hasn't always led fans and purists down the smoothest of restoration roads (The Fox and the Hound), but it's been an exciting journey with far more peaks than valleys, and 2015 looks to be the year that it reaches its long-awaited end. For now, though, completists have a new batch of classics to enjoy, the most problematic being The Sword in the Stone: every bit as flawed but endearing as Robin Hood, every bit as playfully hit or miss as Oliver & Company, but with the crushing disappointment of a subpar video presentation.
"Why, they might even make a motion picture about you!"
The Sword in the Stone's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is an extremely difficult presentation to evaluate. Terribly, almost shockingly soft -- to the point that many shots appear out of focus, blurry, or as if the line art is plagued by the sort of ghosting you might find in a poorly aligned 3D image -- with nary a showcase scene to be found, the film suffers the wrath of heavy handed remastering that features an unforgiving application of noise reduction. The difficulty in evaluating the presentation, of course, is in discerning which issues trace back to the source and which have been exacerbated by the new overhaul. Softness is fine, if it's inherent to the print. Artificial sharpening can be just as detrimental as DNR. This isn't filmic softness, though; it's digital smearing, and it's some of the worst I've seen.
Yes, colors have been bolstered and black levels deepened, with a few instances of blazing primaries to boot, and yes, the palette largely retains its dreary, dismal disposition, as it should. Contrast is consistent too, even though the animation never really pops or looks overly "new." Sadly, detail is an utter disappointment, as evidenced by any one of the expanded screenshots that accompany this review. (In the interest of being thorough, I spent quite a bit of time searching for anything more striking, but to no avail.) The animators' line art has been scrubbed to the point of appearing squishy, disheveled or, at its worst, nearly indistinct (as if it's been blotted away), and every now and then it falls into all three categories. The painted backgrounds have the telltale smeariness of noise reduction gone awry -- as does the print, which tends to feature an ugly artificial cleanliness -- and grain has been wiped away in its entirety, almost to comical ends. How bad does it get? It isn't uncommon to run across a sequence that looks as if it's been restored using tracing sheets and Crayola markers.
The encode itself isn't as problematic. Banding and aliasing aren't in play, and the minor macroblocking that creeps in from time to time is tough to spot with the film in motion. (But still there, hindering the occasional splash of color.) Granted, The Sword in the Stone has never been blessed with precision animation or a pristine source, and I'm sure some of the trouble here at least began with the original elements. (In trying to remove dust and dirt, a noble pursuit, the remastering team jumped off a very steep cliff.) However, having carefully analyzed the film three times on three different displays, then poring over dozens of screenshots, it's become clearer and clearer that the choices made over the course of remastering the film for high definition have only made things worse. Much, much worse. This is, without a doubt, the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the animated presentations Disney has released on Blu-ray.
Reviewer's note: Originally my video score was a 2.0. Upon investigating the source and severity of the presentation's woes further, I've decided to reduce that score to a 1.5.
Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't as disappointing as the film's video presentation, but it also isn't all that remarkable either. With a narrow, front-heavy soundfield and all the signs of a competently restored but long-since-bypassed mono mix, The Sword in the Stone sounds better than it ever has... and yet still doesn't leave much of an impression. Voices are clean and clear on the whole, with minimal hiss, and effects are bright and well-prioritized, despite some presumably unavoidable flatness and tininess. There isn't much to write about LFE output or rear speaker involvement, though both add a welcome but reserved depth to adventure and magic-oriented sequences. The 5.1 remix never suffers, never falters. It simply doesn't have a lot to offer. Personally, I would have preferred a lossless presentation of the original mono. The additional channels don't elevate the experience that much. This'll do, mind you, but having the best of both worlds would be ideal.
Disney's 18th animated feature isn't its best, or even close to its best, but those who discover The Sword in the Stone in childhood will still find they have affection for it all these years later. Its issues are more apparent now, of course. And yet it's hard to suppress the joy that bubbles up with every chore, wizard battle and pull of the sword the film has in store. Disney's Blu-ray release is another matter, though. While it offers a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, it also struggles with a mediocre video presentation and a slim supplemental package. Hardly the stuff of 50th Anniversary legend. And yet The Sword in the Stone is still sitting on my shelf. It may not be a perfect movie, it may not be a worthwhile video presentation, but fans shouldn't blindly steer clear. Despite all its problems, it's worth having, warts and all... if, that is, you can find it at a reasonably low price.
50th Anniversary Edition | DVD Packaging
1963
1963
60th Anniversary Edition
1963
Diamond Edition
1953
Peter Pan 2
2002
2012
2000
2016
1970
The Signature Collection
1961
1977
1997
30th Anniversary Edition
1992
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2009
2019
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1959
The Signature Collection | Ultimate Collector's Edition
1992
2000
2003
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2010
Rental Copy
1940
The Signature Collection
1940
2018