 Norstein has said that he considers "The Overcoat" to be as important a work of literature for him personally as one of the chapters of the Bible.By 1981, when work on the film began, Norstein had been working at Soyuzmultfilm (the main Soviet animation studio) for 13 years and had worked on some 40 films and directed or co-directed six.Progress was slow, with many interruptions (Norstein estimates that only about three years of work were actually done).