

The landscapes are inspired by real Mediterranean landscapes with liberties taken in order to create a fairytale-like atmosphere. The visual style is inspired by Buzzati's illustrations but also independent from the original book. The project also won the Gan Foundation's Special Prize for 2016. It received 375,000 euros from the Ile-de-France region's Support Fund for Film and Audiovisual Technical Industries.

It received financial support from Canal+ and the CNC. It is co-produced with Pathé and France 3 Cinéma in France and Indigo Films and Rai Cinema in Italy. The film is produced by the French company Prima Linea Productions. Pathé distributed the film in France on 9 October 2019 and by BIM Distribuzione in Italy on 7 November 2019. The film was selected to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

The screenplay by Mattotti, Jean-Luc Fromental and Thomas Bidegain is based on the 1945 Italian children's book The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily by Dino Buzzati. Also known as The Bears and the Invasion of Sicily in the United States ( Italian: La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia French: La Fameuse Invasion des ours en Sicile), is a 2019 Italian-French traditionally animated adventure film directed by Lorenzo Mattotti.
