The soundtrack for this movie was performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band, active since 1917. The band also performed on the soundtrack for the 1996 movie Brassed Off (1996) which dealt with the closure of coal pits in Yorkshire.
The film's working title was "Pit Ponies".
Due to Disney's completed acquisitions of other film industries and further release date changes for future films, this marks one of the last times more than one Disney film has been theatrically released on the same day, with this film releasing on the same day as the Disney animated feature film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977).