The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition is Disney's classic retelling of the age-old story of how Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone and became the great king of England, with some added features thrown in for old-school fans. The story follows Arthur, or "Wart", as he is known to those around him, who serves as page to Kay, who is a bit of a blustery jerk. Sadly, Arthur is also the ward of Kay's father and is little more than a servant boy. One day, Merlin the Magician is piddling around his cottage in the woods, chatting with his owl, Archimedes. Yes, chatting with his owl. Merlin is a magician, after all! He tells Archimedes that he will soon cross paths with a young man who will pull Excalibur from the stone, become the great king of England and pull England out of its dark state of unrest. Archimedes is doubtful, but when Arthur screws up Kay's hunt and sets out into the dark woods in search of the missing arrow, then comes crashing through Merlin's roof after being pursued by a wolf, fate sets things into motion. Archimedes is doubtful that this gangly, ignorant boy could ever be king of England, but Merlin sets out to prove him wrong and teach the boy what he needs to know. During his life lessons, Merlin turns them into squirrels and fish, both with rather funny outcomes. At one point, Arthur stumbles into the home of Mad Madam Mim, a crazy old witch who decides to eat Arthur. He is saved in the nick of time by Merlin, however, and Madam Mim and Merlin have a grand duel to see who is the better sorcerer.

Lots of magical goings on occur during Arthur and Merlin's friendship, including a really funny scene when Merlin casts a spell to make the kitchen clean itself (in a very Fantasia-like style) so Arthur can leave his chores behind and the cook has the bejeezes scared out of her when she sees the bewitched dishes. The crux of the plot occurs when a tournament of skill is given to find a king for England, since no one has been able to remove the sword from the stone, although many have tried. Arthur is assisting Kay as his page, but forgets his sword at home. In desperation, he sees a sword just ripe for the picking in a courtyard across the way and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Sword in the Stone is a true Disney classic and one of my favorites from childhood. I will admit that I did not love it as much as I had when I was a kid, but I still really liked seeing it again. Add to that the fact that the film has been remastered and the colors have been made more rich and that's all the more reason to add this one to your collection. If you need any further prodding, this DVD comes with some wonderful classic pieces that are sure to please fans. There's a game you can play with your remote, but more importantly there are some classic shorts included like The Brave Little Tailor and A Knight for a Day, plus a featurette on The Sherman Brothers, who would become Disney standards following this, their first film with Walt. They did the music for such classics as The Parent Trap. Additionally, you can play the songs in the music section, complete with words at the bottom for following along. It's a great way to show this generation of kids what we used to watch on the Disney Channel and The Wonderful World of Disney back in the day.

The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition is a true Disney classic with soft lines that can only come from hand-drawn animation. It definitely belongs in any Disney fan's collection and is one you will want to watch again and again in the coming years.