Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The Sword in the Stone 1963



Why not one more post on Disney's The Sword in the Stone ? A film disliked by some, but loved by many. By the time I enrolled into art school way back, I had seen all of Disney's classic animated films in theatrical reruns except for The Sword in the Stone. One day I was invited to a private screening of this movie at someone's home. He had secured a pristine 35mm print and was going to show it in his living room. I loved the film then and I still do. As Milt Kahl put it, the story falls short here and there, but the movie more than makes up for those weaknesses with rich characters and sequences.
This is color model artist Mary Tebb, wearing an outfit worthy of Technicolor.




A sketch by Bill Peet. Merlin relaxes in a studio chair, originally designed by Kem Weber.



A couple of beautiful styling sketches by the underrated Vance Gerry.




A frame from the Madame Mim sequence. A stunning scene animated by you know who. Just look at that crazy pose!



A cel set up featuring Merlin, Wart and the wolf (animated by John Lounsbery). The highlights on Merlin's beard were added later, as set ups like this one were offered for sale.



A quick reminder about my Nine Old Men book signing on Thursday, 7/28 at Barnes & Noble (at the Grove) at 7 pm:

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-signing-at-barnes-noble-grove.html