OVERLAY REPORT

In the climax of the 1963 Disney film *The Sword in the Stone*, the main character, **Arthur** (affectionately known as **"Wart"**), goes to a **churchyard in London**. ### Where He Goes: Specific Location While in London for the New Year’s Day tournament, Arthur specifically rushes to a **churchyard** (often identified in Arthurian lore as the yard of a great cathedral, though the film depicts it as a quiet, snowy courtyard). In the center of this churchyard stands the legendary **Sword in the Stone**—a blade embedded in an iron anvil atop a large block of stone. ### Why He Goes There: The Specific Reason Arthur’s reason for going to the churchyard is surprisingly humble and accidental: 1. **Forgetting Kay’s Sword:** As the squire for his foster brother, **Sir Kay**, Arthur realizes just before Kay's first bout that he has accidentally left Kay’s sword back at their inn. 2. **The Locked Inn:** Arthur rushes back to the inn to retrieve the weapon, but he finds the building **locked and bolted** because everyone, including the innkeeper, has gone to the tournament. 3. **Desperation for a Replacement:** Fearing Kay's temper and wanting to fulfill his duties, Arthur frantically searches for a replacement sword. He spots the sword in the churchyard anvil and, unaware of its magical significance or the prophecy inscribed on it, decides to "borrow" it so Kay will have a weapon for the tournament. ### The Climactic Moment Supported by the encouragement of **Archimedes the Owl**, Arthur pulls the sword from the anvil with ease. A **beam of heavenly light** shines down upon him as he does so. He initially presents the sword to Kay at the tournament grounds. When Sir Ector and the other knights recognize the weapon as the "Sword in the Stone," the tournament is halted. They return to the churchyard where Arthur must prove he pulled it by re-inserting and then successfully removing the sword once more in front of the crowd, ultimately leading to his coronation as the rightful King of England.