The film is based on the short story of the same name, published posthumously under the Jules Verne byline but in fact heavily changed by his son Michel Verne. The original short story of Jules Verne was titled "Pierre-Jean" and was discovered and published many decades later. There are significant differences between the plots of the film, the short story of the same name largely written by Michel Verne, and the original story of Jules Verne.
According to Society Jules Verne, this is one out of four films of Michel Verne based on his father's writings.
The film is divided in five parts.