Corrected entry: The legend of King Arthur is set (loosely) around the early 6th century. Merlin wears glasses, but these weren't invented until around the late 1280s.
Correction: He states that he is also a time traveller.
The Sword in the Stone (1963)
1 corrected entry
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
Starring: Sebastian Cabot, Junius Matthews, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorensen
Continuity mistake: As a squirrel, Merlin's glasses come off & suddenly, it has ear pieces on the frames. When he places them back on, they're gone.
Merlin: Now, now, Mim, Mim, no... no dragons, remember?
Madame Mim: Did I say no purple dragons? Did I?
More trivia for The Sword in the Stone
Question: Why is Arthur voiced by two actors?
Answer: Arthur was voiced by three actors. Rickie Sorenson and Richard and Robert Reitherman. Rickie originally voiced Arthur but, during production of the film, Rickie hit puberty causing his voice to change, so Wolfgang Reitherman chose to use his own sons to replace Rickie.
Correction: Merlin has incredible wisdom and knowledge, so maybe he independently invented glasses. Plus, it is made very clear in this movie that Merlin is capable of time travel, and has visited the twentieth century, acquiring modern scientific knowledge which he can use to great effect in the time of King Arthur. Even during the movie he declares that he is going to Bermuda, at which point he disappears from the film. In the final five minutes Merlin re-appears in a twentieth century surfer's costume and talks about life in the twentieth century. So he could quite easily have gone to an opticians, had an eye test and acquired spectacles during one of his travels to the future. Plus, one of the leading characters of The Sword In The Stone is a talking owl, who can hold conversations with humans. I don't think there were any talking owls during the Middle Ages, so maybe this film should not be regarded as accurate history.
Rob Halliday