Original Production Animation Cels of Merlin and Wart as Fish with Bubbles from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963

Original hand painted production animation cels of Merlin and Wart as Fish with Bubbles from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; With original Art Corner Sticker certificate verso; Size - Merlin & Wart: 3 1/2 x 6", Image 6 3/4 x 9 1/2", Mat 11 x 13 3/4"; Matted.

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"You mean you can turn yourself into a fish?" - Wart
"After all, I happen to be a wizard." - Merlin
"Could you turn me into a fish?" - Wart
"Well, do you have any imagination? Can you imagine yourself as a fish?" - Merlin
"Oh, that's easy. I've done that lots of times." - Wart
"Oh. Well, good. Then I think that my magic can do the rest." - Merlin

 

"The Sword in the Stone," 1963 is the 18th full length feature film produced by Walt Disney and it was released on December 25, 1963 by Buena Vista Distribution. The film was based on the novel of the same name, that was first published in 1938. It was later republished in 1958 as the first book of T. H. White's tetralogy "The Once and Future King." It was to be the final Disney animated film released before Walt Disney's death on December 15, 1966. The songs in the film were written and composed by the Sherman Brothers, who would become very famous for their future work on later Disney films including; "Mary Poppins," 1964, "The Jungle Book," 1967, and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," 1971.

Merlin is a very powerful wizard with a pet owl named Archimedes. He befriends and becomes the teacher of a 12-year old orphan named Arthur, who goes by the name of Wart. Merlin is first seen living in a forest cottage, and he believes in the philosophy of "Brain over Brawn." As a wizard, he is very intelligent, has a wide variety of powers, and is considered the most powerful wizard in the world. He has the ability to see into the future, and has the ability to shape-shift. Merlin was animated by Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston; and voiced by Karl Swenson who was an American theater, radio, film, and television actor.

Wart was animated by both Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston; and the voice was provided by three different actors; Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman and his brother Robert Reitherman. This lead to noticeable changes in the character's voice between scenes. Also, the three voices all have Brooklyn-esque accents, which differed with the English setting for the film and with the accents spoken by all other characters. 

In order to teach Wart life lessons, Merlin transforms both himself and Wart into a fish. After a bit, Wart who is now a small yellow fish, ends up being chased by a giant fish, Merlin asks the boy “But did you get the point?” and Wart replies “Yes, yes! Brain over brawn!” Another wonderful dialog exchange from this sequence is below:

 

"You were really great, Merlin. But you could have been killed." - Wart
"It was worth it, lad, if you learned something from it." - Merlin
"Knowledge and wisdom are the real power." - Wart
"Right you are, Wart. So stick to your schooling, boy." - Merlin
"Oh, don’t worry, I will, sir. I will. I really will." - Wart

 

This is a great original production animation cel setup of Merlin and Wart after being polymorphed into fish. Merlin is the larger blue fish and Wart is the smaller yellow fish and both are full figure, eyes and mouth open images. Also included in the setup is the original production animation cel of underwater bubbles and the original Art Corner Sticker certificate. An absolutely wonderful and rare piece of original animation artwork perfect for any collection!

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