Le Roi et l'oiseau (The King and the Mocking Bird, literally The King and the Bird) is a 1980 traditionally-animated feature film directed by Paul Grimault. Begun in 1948 as The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep (loosely based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen), it underwent a long production, eventually being finished over 30 years after it was started. The film is today regarded as a masterpiece of French animation and has been cited by the Japanese director Isao Takahata as an influence.