Madam Mim (voiced by the late Martha Wentworth) is an antagonist in the the 1963 animated film "The Sword In The Stone".
Madam Mim is a witch who is also the rival of Merlin. She makes her first and only appearance in the movie. Mim is arrogant and believes herself to be the most powerful. She despises Merlin because of his benevolence with his skills and anything that is associated with good.
Events[]
When Arthur (aka Wart) as a transformed sparrow falls down through her chimney after dodging a predatory lunge from a hawk, he lands in a pile of soot in the fireplace, making his presence known to Mim from coughing while she is sitting at a table presumably playing Solitaire. At first, she assumes that it's somebody sick, something she finds lovely and hopes that its serious and dreadful with morbid amusement. Until she notices Arthur in her fireplace, she becomes disappointed in seeing that it's simply a sparrow covered in soot and picks him up. But Arthur tells her that he isn't really a sparrow, but a boy. This surprises Mim, causing her to drop him on the table. Arthur then dusts himself free of soot, telling Mim that he was changed into a sparrow by Merlin based on his magic and that he's the world's most powerful wizard. But, Mim mockingly laughs at the mention of Merlin, calling him the "world's most powerful bungler" before informing Arthur that she can do magic, too at her mere fingertips.
Mim then formally introduces herself to Arthur, who asks him if he's never heard of her, which he shakes his head that he hasn't. However, unnoticed by Arthur and Mim, Archimedes, Merlin's pet owl overhears them, becomes scared, and frantically flies off presumably to warn Merlin. Mim attempts to convince Arthur that she is superior to Merlin by showing off her magical abilities to him, beginning with that she has the power to wither flowers with merely a touch, and that she finds delight in the gruesome and grim, which Arthur says is "terrible," something that she thanks him for. Mim then shows Arthur that she can change her size, too, first by becoming huge, filling the whole house, and then becoming tiny, small as a mouse, before disappearing and reappearing next to Arthur teasingly, telling him that black sorcery is her dish of tea. She then conjures a broom stick, which she flies on and gleefully shouts about how marvelous she is all the while teasingly flying around Arthur before diving off the table side and changing back into her normal size in a puff of yellow smoke.
Next, she asks Arthur if he knows that she can make herself look uglier while wiggling her fingers playfully, which he responds that it "would be some trick," before realizing what he said, but Mim takes his answer to heart by hiding her face in her hair, only to remove her hair after a moment, revealing a wrinkly and warty pig's face, scaring Arthur. Mim jumps up and down with glee, tugging on her hair, before asking Arthur how hideous and perfectly revolting she looks, which he confirms. Mim then tells Arthur that he hasn't seen anything yet and instructs him to watch as she presses her pig snout, which turns her into a beautiful woman. She then shows off how beautiful she looks, ranging from having a voluptuous figure, silvery voice, and hair that is long, smooth, silky, and thick that she flings into the air before attempting to seduce Arthur by shimmying her shoulder and then wiggling her hips, which leaves him gawking at her until she saunters over and strokes him underneath his beak seductively and teasingly. Mim then says her beautiful form is only skin deep, before taking a large lock of her long hair in both hands and yanking on both ends, causing her once again to explode in a puff of yellow smoke, turning back into an old woman all the while jumping up and down, tugging on her hair, and shrieking with glee that she's an "ugly, old creep."
Now asking Arthur what does he think of who's greater while playfully poking him in the stomach, Arthur answers her that Merlin's magic is useful based on his benevolence. Mim then guesses that Merlin must see something good in Arthur by asking him, and he suspects so. Arthur's answer infuriates Mim, saying that in her book, it's bad before rushing towards the window and slamming it shut. She then turns back to Arthur, telling him that she has no other choice but to destroy him, something that startles Arthur. But, Mim says that she'll give him a "sporting chance" by crawling onto the table and say she's mad about games all the while transforming herself into a pink cat, much to Arthur's horror. She urges Arthur to get moving and that he has to stay on his toes while playing the game. Mim then chases Arthur around her house, making a mess of things before eventually catching him by his tailfeathers then lets him go after a moment and causing him to hit a bullseye by flying into its center target. Mim gleefully cackles, proclaims herself the winner after plucking Arthur out of the bullseye and announcing that the game's over. But Arthur, having grown angry at Mim's morbid "game" by putting his life on the line for her amusement, pecks her on the nose, which causes her to cry out in pain and turning back into her normal self. Mim becomes angry at Arthur for his actions, deciding to wring his neck, but not before Merlin arrives in the nick of time, who demands of Mim what she's up to. Mim attempts to placate her old nemesis by claiming she and Arthur were "playing a little game" while patting Arthur on the head, but Arthur disputes her by telling Merlin that Mim was going to destroy him. Instead of handing Arthur over to Merlin, she challenges him to a Wizard's Duel, which two magical beings change themselves into different things in an attempt to destroy one another, according to Archimedes.
Mim then goes on to make the rules of the duel, which Archimedes snidely comments that she "only wants rules so she can break them." The first rule she makes is that they cannot turn into minerals or vegetables; only animals. The second rule she makes is that they cannot turn into fictitious creatures. And the third rule she makes is that they cannot disappear while Merlin makes a fourth rule is that they cannot cheat, but Mim breaks every single self-made rule. She first breaks the no disappearing rule, to which Arthur warns Merlin about, making the wizard snap at Mim, reminding her about the rules she made, but she isn't fazed by his reminders. Mim turns herself into a crocodile, a fox, a chicken, an elephant, a tiger, a rattlesnake, and a rhinoceros (all of which are colored pink) while Merlin turns himself into a turtle, a rabbit, a caterpillar, a walrus, a mouse, a crab, and a goat (all of which are colored blue), until at last, she breaks another rule by turning into a dragon, except is colored purple. However, Merlin manages to outwit Mim in the end by using his knowledge of microbiology while turning himself into a disease (a rare one) called malignalitaloptereosis which he infects Mim with, causing her to turn pale green and break out into spots first, next by suffering small bouts of fever and chills, and finally sneezing, therefore making her too ill to continue and forcing her to forfeit.
Back home, Mim is laid up in bed while Merlin checks her prognosis, assuring her that what she is sick with isn't too serious and that she'll eventually be fully recovered in a few weeks and be back to her old "bad" self as ever before all while suggesting that she gets plenty of rest, and lots and lots of sunshine while making a makeshift skylight in the ceiling for the sun to come in and shine on her. Mim then angrily complains about how much she hates "horrible, wholesome" sunshine while hiding her face in her hair, but her complaining causes Merlin to cover his ears in annoyance and march out of her house with Archimedes and Arthur following him, closing the door and leaving Mim behind to continue screaming out her complaints and returning to Sir Ector's castle.
Trivia[]
- Madam Mim is among the second of four Classic Walt Disney Villainesses such as evil Queen Grimhilde of "Snow White and the seven Dwarfs" (1937) and the evil fairy Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) of "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) and Cruella De Vil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians) (1961 movie).
- In a Walt Disney Comic Digest story "Mim Meets Her Match," Madam Mim decides to seek new places to practice her witchcraft (her monsters don't scare anyone!); she soon meets Br'er Rabbit; he "introduces" her to a real dope (his old antagonist Br'er Bear). Br'er Bear thinks that Br'er Rabbit will fall for the old "Tar Baby" trick; Mim causes the Tar Baby to grow 9 feet tall and scares Br'er Bear into running away; pleased with her success, she accidentally gets herself stuck in the Tar Baby; Br'er Rabbit promises to help Mim out, but only after he sells the tar at a cheap price!
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