Marcell Jankovics asked the BBC to help raise funds for the film. They rejected him on the grounds that the movie was "too Hungarian". Jankovics never understood this, arguing that the film's themes span the entirety of humanity, and despite being based on a Hungarian play, none of the scenes take place in Hungary.
Like the famous Hungarian play which it is based on, this movie has 15 acts. All acts were made with different animation and art styles, corresponding to their historical eras.
This film was made from 1983 to 2011. The screenplay was written in 1983 and the film entered production in 1988 but Pannonia Film Studio lost its funding around 1990 when Hungary's socialist state-funded studio system collapsed, which was the major reason for the slow and delayed production.
With over 20,000 admissions, it was one of the most successful Hungarian movies of 2011.
Director Marcell Jankovics estimates that he has spent 6 years working on the movie. The rest of the time was spent on raising funds.
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