Written and created by Georges Méliès, this 1902 short film used a combination of camera trickery and studio effects to create one of the first science fiction films, with effects that wowed audiences. Georges Méliès took much inspiration from The Theatre Robert-Houdin and his life as a magician and trickster to create the film. Some of the effects used were to stop filming and change items, then continue filming to give the effect of morphing/disappearing/appearing subjects, splicing and editing the film after the shooting, as well as rolling backgrounds (to give the illusion of falling/flying), and many other techniques.

Méliès had been wowed in 1895 when he first saw a film of workers leaving a factory moving for the first time, and he obviously saw a lot of potentional in this new medium for combining this with his knowledge of working in the theatre and its stage effects.

In December 1929 A Gala was held in Méliès honour, and still now he is considered a pioneer of animation and filming techniques.