The Coral Island are, in his own words, "adventure stories for young folks", and "The Coral Island" is no exception. It is a Robinsonade, a genre of fiction inspired by Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" (1719), one of the most popular of its type, and one of the first works of juvenile fiction to feature exclusively juvenile heroes. Susan Maher, professor of English, notes that in comparison to "Robinson Crusoe" such books generally replaced some of the original's romance with a "pedestrian realism", exemplified by works such as "The Coral Island" and Frederick Marryat's 1841 novel "Masterman Ready, or the Wreck of the Pacific".
The Island at the Top of the World four friends move further and further away until they vanish into the Arctic mist. The film's pre-production lasted for several years. The 30th Anniversary Edition of the film, released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in 2004, includes a "1968 Pre-Production Trailer" as a bonus feature, which includes an interview with producer Winston Hibler. The film was based on the novel "The Lost Ones", written by Ian Cameron, set in the location of Prince Patrick Island. To tie in with the film, the novel was reissued with the movie's title. There were several changes from the book to the film.