Writer Erich Kästner is widely reported to be billed as "Berthold Bürger" on this film, but there is in fact no writing credit at all. Kästner was a banned author in Nazi Germany and his books were among those burnt in 1933, which was the reason for the lack of writing credit here. Joseph Goebbels gave Kästner only a special permission to write a script, on which the author was actually named as Berthold Bürger. However he also give instruction to the German press never to mention the real author of the script nor to mention the name Berthold Bürger. Therefore no writing credits in the movie was used.
This was only the third film shot with the German-created Agfacolor color film process.
Joseph Goebbels, Reichsminister of propaganda and also chief of the German UFA Studios, ordered this film to be made for the 25th anniversary of UFA.
Director Josef von Báky worked again with Erich Kästner on Das doppelte Lottchen (1950), which is based on Kästner's novel of the same name. Kästner also wrote the screenplay for the movie and was acting as the narrator.
Joseph Goebbels was reportedly influenced by the American Technicolor blockbuster The Wizard of Oz (1939).