General Motors recycled the short into their 2008 Super Bowl commercial. Director Marcell Jankovics used the money he received from the deal to fund The Tragedy of Man (2011).
Marcell Jankovics created the animation to express his frustration over the difficult production of his first theatrical film, Johnny Corncob (1973). The clip isn't about only Sisyphus, it is about himself.
Marcell Jankovics considered this short to be his finest and proudest work. It represented his conviction to not follow trends or compete with other artists and never try to do the same thing twice, but rather to make each of his films unique. His mother agreed, as after watching the short she reportedly told him "Son, you will never make a film this good for the rest of your life."