Walt Disney's first fully live-action film came about more from necessity than from a business plan. Both Disney and distributor RKO had a sizeable amount of British pounds tied up in the UK after World War II. Government restrictions prevented Disney from taking the money out of the country, so he decided to use it to make a movie.

Shooting entirely in England and adding only one American-young Disney contract player Bobby Driscoll (The Black Hole), Disney released a video version of Treasure Island in its original, uncut form.