This film was started as a
side project, while
Don Bluth was still working at
Walt Disney Productions. Bluth had previously considered producing a short film based on the fairy tale
The Pied Piper of Hamelin, but felt that it was too large a production. He invited several other young
animators to his house on nights and weekends to discover secrets of classical animation that he felt had been lost at Disney. The team worked in Bluth's garage. Bluth, and animators such as
Gary Goldman, felt that Disney were only attempting to reduce the cost of films without paying attention to any artistic values. Eventually he resigned from Disney, along with 17 other animators, to finish this film and begin
The Secret of NIMH. That bold walk-out caused a delay in the release of Disney's
The Fox and the Hound which was still in mid-production. The story is partially based on one of Don Bluth's real-life experiences: while living on a
farm, his family's
cat, who lived in a
woodpile nearby, disappeared, only to return to the farm several weeks later. During the filming stage, it was considered to become a
feature film. It included a fleshed-out villain: a scarred,
cigar-smoking cat named Rocko, who bears similarities to Warren T. Rat (from
An American Tail) and Carface Caruthers (from
All Dogs Go to Heaven). A
termite that saves Banjo from a group of young children in
Salt Lake City later became Digit in
An American Tail. The tone of the film was darker and more akin to
All Dogs Go to Heaven, and the climactic battle between Crazy Legs and Rocko was inspired by Disney's
The Jungle Book. However, it was found that padding the film and adding darker elements did not strengthen the storyline, so the filmmakers kept the film as a short. It was considered to be made into a
Christmas special, and would have featured live-action scenes of
Sparky Marcus talking to
Santa Claus, and the
animation would have more of a Christmas theme. Don Bluth recalled: "We forced Christmas into it, and it didn't work". Despite this claim, Crazy Legs briefly wearing the Santa Claus suit, the wintry landscapes, and decorations, are still evident in the final film. Don Bluth pitched this film, during pre-production, to then-studio head
Ron W. Miller, as a future property for Disney. Seeing no value in it, Miller turned it down. The
rain and
snow effects seen in this film are re-used live-action passes, thrown away by the Disney studio, in favor of cheaper and faster techniques. == Release ==