It was during the production of this film that the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia. Russian soldiers were posted at the studio. Many key members of the Czech film industry were replaced. The new regime was reportedly unhappy with the acclaim Karel Zeman had received internationally. As a result, this would be the last of Zeman's feature films. The rest of his career was creating animated shorts.
The film is a combination of animated and live action film. Animation is based on illustrations for Verne's novels. The story is presented in grotesque way, especially conflicts between British and French soldiers. Zeman added a romantic plot that includes Hector Servadac and Angelica.
This film was released in the U,S. under two titles: "On the Comet" (dubbed) and "Off on a Comet" (subtitled).
The original version has undergone a digital restoration.