This was not the first time an animated adaptation of Astrid Lindgren's "Pippi Longstocking" books was ever attempted. In 1971, Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and collaborator Isao Takahata had planned to produce a feature-length animated film, "Pippi Longstocking: The Strongest Girl in the World" ("Nagakutsushita no Pippi: Sekai Ichi Tsuyoi Onna no Ko"). The two men traveled to Sweden to do location scouting for production research, especially to the town of Visby, where Pippi Longstocking (1969) was filmed). They then had a meeting with creator Astrid Lindgren to discuss the project with her. Unfortunately, after their meeting, their rights were denied, and the project was canceled. Today, beautiful watercolored "image boards" (storyboards) are among all that remain of the aborted project.
This film, and its TV series version Pippi Longstocking (1997), were the last film/TV adaptations of Pippi done in Astrid Lindgren's lifetime. Astrid died in 2002. As of 2010, they are also the most recent film/TV adaptations of Pippi.
The dutch voice of Pippi is done by Barbara Dicker, Who happens to be the daughter of Paula Majoor who voiced the dutch Pippi in Pippi Longstocking (1969)