Human uses of birds with effective mimicry of birds. The play's chorus consists of characters playing many identifiable species, including the kingfisher, turtledove, and sparrowhawk; birds feature as messengers and dancers, and several Athenians are compared to specific birds. In film, birds can feature as the major driving force in a story, as in Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed 1963 "The Birds". Loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's story of the same name, it tells the tale of sudden attacks on people by violent flocks of birds. A bird plays the role of an outlet for a person's feelings in Ken Loach's much admired 1969 "Kes".
The Sword in the Stone (1963 film) sixth highest-grossing film of 1963, earning estimated theatrical rentals of $4.75 million. The film was re-released on March 25, 1983 and grossed $12 million. The film received a lifetime gross of $22,182,353 in North America. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who thought it had too much humor and a "thin narrative". "Variety" wrote that the film "demonstrates anew the magic of the Disney animators and imagination in character creation. But one might wish for a script which stayed more with the basic story line rather than taking so many twists and turns which have little bearing on the