Adam Elliot conceived the idea behind "Harvie Krumpet" over a ten-year period, and wrote fourteen drafts of the script over three months. He also created a 300-panel storyboard to visualise the film before the animation began. He described Harvie's character as "an amalgamation of many people I know", in addition to being partly autobiographical. Elliot's development of the plot began with small character details with which he could "work backwards and then find a rhythm to the piece". "Harvie Krumpet" marked the first time that Elliot worked with a producer, Melanie Coombs. Financing for the film's A$377,000 production budget was split between three production companies: SBS Independent, the Australian Film Commission and Film Victoria.