Walt Disney first acquired the film rights to the novel in 1939, and various attempts at developing the film lasted two decades before actual production on the film officially began. "The Sword in the Stone" was the last animated film from Walt Disney Productions to be released during Walt Disney's lifetime before his death on December 15, 1966. Bill Peet wrote the story for the film, while the songs were written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. This marked the first contribution of the Sherman Brothers to the music in an animated Disney film, and they would later write the music for other Disney films, such as "Mary Poppins" (1964), "The Jungle Book" (1967), "The Aristocats" (1970), and "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977). George Bruns composed the film's score, the third animated film he had scored for Disney following "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) and "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961). Bruns later composed the score for the next three Disney animated films: "The Jungle Book", "The Aristocats", and "Robin Hood" (1973) The film receive mixed reviews, but it became a box-office success. It was re-released to theaters on March 25, 1983 on a double bill with "Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore".