Merlin, voiced by Karl Swenson, is a main character in the 1963 animated Disney film The Sword in the Stone. Based on the Merlin of Arthurian legend, Disney's version of the character aides and educates King Arthur about various things. He owns a pet owl named Archimedes who has the ability to speak.
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The Sword in the Stone
Merlin is first seen in the film[1], when "Wart" (the future King Arthur), heads off into the woods to search for a lost arrow. Sensing potential in the boy, Merlin decides to give Wart a "proper" education, which consists of magic, the ability to read and science, among others. It is during one of these lessons that Wart (who had taken on the form of a bird) is captured by Madame Mim. After Merlin finds Arthur, he and Madame Mim engage in a duel in which each seeks to defeat the other by transforming into various creatures. Though Mim's dragon form seemed to gain the upperhand at the beginning of the duel, Merlin managed to defeat her by transforming into a germ and infecting her. When Arthur announces that he will begin his service as a squire to Kay, his older foster brother, Merlin is both angry and disappointed that Wart still preferred war games over education and transports himself to the 20th-century Bermuda. Merlin appears a final time at the end of the film, when Wart/Arthur calls to him for advice on how to be a King. Merlin reassures him by telling him that he will one day rise and lead an order of heroes (the Knights of the Round Table) and reveals to him that in the 20th century, he is a famous figure with a large line of merchandise.
In other media
Merlin also appears at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character.
Kingdom Hearts
Merlin is a supporting character in the Kingdom Hearts series, where he is voiced by Jeff Bennett. He first appears in the first Kingdom Hearts, where he lives in a guarded alcove in the Plaza/Third District of Traverse Town after his world was destroyed by the Heartless. He teaches Sora about basic magic. Merlin isn't present in the GBA sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but he is mentioned in the Chain of Memories manga. In Kingdom Hearts II, Merlin moved to Hollow Bastion and joined the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. His role was once again to introduce Sora to basic magic skills. In both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, he holds the book that contains the Hundred Acre Woods minigame world, and is aware that Pooh and his friends reside within the book.
