The film was intended as a wide release film of 78 minutes within the scope of ambition in context of the days of insolvency in 2001. A premiere at the Petersburg House of Cinema was held in 2006 despite the constrained budget. The animators then once thought of getting financial assistance from the West. In a 6 September 2010 interview, Shemyakin said that if funding were given, the film would be finished in a year and a half. However, as of January 2011, the film crew were either not being paid at all (as during one 6-month period) or being paid very little, so progress was very slow. The production cycle faced many discontinuations.