"For a long time," writes director Lawrence Jordan, "I have wanted to construct a melodrama (animated) from the funky engravings of the 19th century which illustrated 'young peoples' adventure stories. Eventually, through a great deal of selection, such a film fell into place. I have attempted to present the high emotional overlay of very mundane events in this 'alchemical melodrama.' To that end, Puccini combines with blatant sounds of police sirens and old door buzzers on the sound track, while 'real' and nightmare images compete for screen time."