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The Sword in the Stone (1963)
The Sword in the Stone (1963) poster

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Animation, Family, Fantasy • 1h 19m

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Cast: Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews, Martha Wentworth, Norman Alden, Rickie Sorensen, Ginny Tyler, Alan Napier, Richard Reitherman, Robert Reitherman, Barbara Jo Allen, James MacDonald, Tudor Owen, Thurl Ravenscroft, Jack Albertson, Fred Darian

Best English-friendly & video release

4K Streaming

Updated 5 months ago


Best audio release


About the film

Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.

Featured in Films/TV shows with a 1080p Blu-ray, but a higher quality master is found elsewhere

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Director: Chris Columbus

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ has Streaming in 4K

Video Notes:

Fox has Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1995 Fox LaserDisc

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming with HDR

Director: Michael Bay

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ HD Streaming

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

4K possibly teased?

Video Notes:

Disney+ has new master better than Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Criterion DVD/Disney Blu-ray is missing a line:

Hummel: (line missing)
 
Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Disney+:

Hummel: Hummel.

Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Director: Simon West

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical: Disney+ has Streaming in 4K without DNR, Disney Blu-ray is a bad master with DNR

Extended: Disney DVD

Upcoming Release:

2026 Disney 4K Blu-ray Steelbook

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

4K Streaming has Dolby Vision and is a newer significantly better restoration see caps comparing against Fox Blu-ray

Director: Marc Forster

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly:

Streaming

Best Video:

Streaming: Kaleidescape

Video Notes:

Streaming: Kaleidescape > Movies Anywhere > Disney+

Best Audio:

2018 Disney Blu-ray has the original 7.1 mix in DTS-HD Master Audio

Streaming has a Dolby Atmos remix. Kaleidescape is lossless (TrueHD 7.1), others are all lossy (E-AC-3 5.1 JOC) at varying bitrates.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Streaming

Audio Notes:

Streaming has the original theatrical Dolby Atmos mix
Disney/Fox Blu-ray only has a 5.1 downmix

Kaleidescape is lossless (TrueHD 7.1), others are all lossy (E-AC-3 5.1 JOC) at varying bitrates.

Best Video:

Streaming: Kaleidescape

Video Notes:

Streaming: Kaleidescape > Movies Anywhere > Disney+

Director: Martin Campbell

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly:

MGM Blu-ray 

Best Video:

MGM Blu-ray: old DNRed video master

4K Lowry master on Streaming (better than DNRed Blu-ray) and Ultimate Edition DVD more detailed but heavily cropped on all sides

LaserDisc master: excellent LaserDisc video master ported to Special Edition DVD

Best Audio:

Theatrical Dolby Digital 5.1: LaserDisc and Special Edition DVD

Theatrical Dolby Stereo SR: LaserDisc

Theatrical DTS 5.1: DTS LaserDisc

Blu-ray 5.1 new transfer

Director: John Woo

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming on Paramount+/Paramount Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Best Buy DVD has a exclusive disc

Director: Peter R. Hunt

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming

Sources: 007homemedia.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Bros Blu-ray is the best Blu-ray even though it has color and major contrast issues
4K SDR master on streaming seems to be from the same scan and looks like it has less tinkering than the Blu-ray
Caps of 4K SDR master: 007 on Home Media: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Best Audio:

MGM 1991 LaserDisc

More from Wolfgang Reitherman

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Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Original: 35mm scans or Disney LaserDisc (1.33:1 open matte)

Restored: Disney Limited Issue DVD (1.33:1 open matte)

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Later Disney DVDs and Blu-ray are altered

Best Audio:

35mm scans or Disney LaserDisc

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Unrestored: 35mm scans (widescreen) or Disney LaserDisc (1.33:1 open matte)

Restored: Disney Gold Collection DVD (1.33:1 open matte)

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Disney Most Wanted Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases are altered

Best Audio:

35mm scans or Disney LaserDisc

More from Disney

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Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Japan Studio Ghibli 4K Blu-ray announced for a November 25, 2026 release

Best Audio:

Japanese audio: 2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray/US GKIDS Blu-ray

English dub (Disney): 1998 US Disney VHS has better sounding vocals despite altered music and sound effects, the US Disney LaserDisc has limited audio, and 2003 DVD is a fake 5.1 upmix

Releases from 2010 onward have the original music and sound effects, but distorted vocals

English dub (Streamline): 1996 Japan remastered LaserDisc, available in Ghibli Ga Ippai Collection boxset

Additional Info:

2012 US Disney Blu-ray has dubtitles. US GKIDS Blu-ray has bonuses that are absent on the US Disney Blu-ray

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

BD LPCM 5.1

Audio Notes:

The DTS-HD on the UHD has been dynamically compressed, has had its center channel boosted, and surrounds lowered (typical modern nearfield mix for soundbars).  Very different from the BD and DVD tracks.  The BD LPCM is basically just a lossless version of the DTS and AC3 from the original DVD (the AC3 actually being the superior mix on that particular release).

Directors: Bill Roberts & Paul Satterfield & Wilfred Jackson & Ben Sharpsteen & James Algar & T. Hee & Hamilton Luske & Samuel Armstrong & Jim Handley & Norman Ferguson & David Hand & Ford Beebe Jr.

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Censored: 2010 Disney Blu-ray
Uncensored: 35mm Scan

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

See caps of Blu-ray vs DVD

Best Audio:

1991 CAV LaserDisc

Audio Notes:
  • 1991 CAV LaserDisc includes an approximation of the original Fantasound mix in Dolby Surround using the surviving magnetic mixdown, using Stokowski's original mixing notes as a reference. Original aggressive pans and dynamic range are left in tact.

  • The 2000 DVD uses this same mix in discrete 5.0, but with some unnecessary dynamic range compression + a redub of all Deems Taylor audio with Corey Burton.

  • The 7.1 mix on the 2010 Blu-ray sounds poor, having been hit with excessive noise reduction, dynamic range compression, original aggressive pans no longer in tact, and the channel usage no longer resembles Stokowski's original intended sound design. 

Director: Chris Columbus

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Kaleidescape 4K Streaming

Video Notes:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has encoding issues with bitrates dipping into 40mbps, and Kaleidescape has better encoding than Disney see caps 
Old Fox Blu-ray master is stretched and sharpened

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray or US Disney Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · lddb.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray
Comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/6JWnlfit

Best Audio:

All sources are within margin of error. Comparisons: Japanese, English
Alternate Streamline English dub is available only on 1994 Fox LD.

Additional Info:

US GKIDS Blu-ray has more bonuses than the US Disney Blu-ray

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming on Disney+ or Disney Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Disney Blu-ray TrueHD 5.1

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming on Disney+ or Disney Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Disney 4K Blu-ray Steelbook

Best Audio:

US Disney Blu-ray LPCM 5.1

Director: Joel Schumacher

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ is Streaming in HD with OAR

Or Disney/Touchstone DVD

Best Audio:

Disney/Touchstone DVD DTS 5.1

Director: Peter Weir

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has neutered audio compared to OG home video release

Cinema DTS or DVD DTS 5.1 is better and has more bass.

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray lack the bonus features found in the old Collector's Edition DVD release. The France Blu-ray has all extras plus an isolated score.

Director: Peter Weir

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical: Disney+ Streaming has a new 4K restoration

Extended: Disney LaserDisc

Upcoming Release:

Disney 4K Blu-ray announced for September 29, 2026

Best Audio:

Theatrical: Japan Disney DVD has the original 70mm 6-track mix in 4.0, all other releases save for Disney+ only have a 5.1 remix. Disney+ Streaming has a new Dolby Atmos remix that nonetheless is truer to the original 6-track mix than the past 5.1 remix.

Extended: Disney LaserDisc

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vanshadyJojoTheMovieOtterHydra Spectre

· last reviewed 5 months ago

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