 "Hugo the Hippo" was the first international release of a PannoniaFilm production; prior to this, they had also made Hungary's first animated feature, "János Vitéz", in 1973.The film, produced over a two-year period, received funding from the Faberge company via its Brut Productions label.Its U.S. distributor, 20th Century Fox, acquired "Hugo" along with two other Brut films starring Elliott Gould, "Whiffs" and "I Will, I Will... for Now".