The gigantic blimp (airship) was a French dirigible called "The Hyperion". It was named in honor of 2719 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles, the site of Walt Disney's first studio. Hyperion is originally the Greek Titan of the sun.
A replica of the Hyperion airship from the movie was planned for the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, in an unrealized section called Discovery Bay. The original plan was to have the blimp fly out from a replica from this film of Captain Brieux (Jacques Marin)'s hangar. Designs for this attraction were adapted for use in the Discoveryland section at the Disneyland Resort Paris theme park where a replica of the film's French dirigible is an attraction.
The movie was released in cinemas on a double bill, supported by the 25-minute animated Disney short Winnie Puuh und Tigger dazu (1974).
The French Hyperion blimp from the film was recreated for the Disneyland Resort Paris theme park in its Discoveryland section. During the early 1990s, it was considered the largest ever prop in any Disney theme park across the world.
Despite Ivarsson's claim that the Vikings speak old Norse, they actually speak modern Scandinavian languages. The Vikings are played by Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Icelandic actors using their native languages.