The first part of the film was shot in the Moroccan desert, the Blue City, and the Portuguese fortress, with filming to be completed later in Moscow. The film is a modern adaptation of the family fantasy movie that premiered in the Soviet Union in the 1950s.
The film revolves around Volka, a schoolboy struggling with his parents' divorce, who accidentally releases the elf Khattabitch, who dreams of becoming human and finding his daughter. The characters find themselves bound by a shared will and must overcome adversity together, confronting a sorcerer from the past. The film reminds viewers that family, true love, and loyal friendship can sometimes be more powerful than any magic.
The film features a distinguished cast including Fyodor Bondarchuk, Mark Grigoriev, Nadezhda and Anna Mikhalkova, Oskar Ilyasov, Polina Denisova, Roma Yevdokimov, Eldar Kalimulin, Vitalia Kornenko, Roma Kurtsyn, Nelly Uvarova, and others.
The film is a co-production between Art Pictures Studio and Lunapark, with support from the Cinema Fund and the Trade Fund for the Development of Cinema and Animation. NMG (Kinoprocat) is distributing the new version of "Ibn Khattab" in Russian cinemas.
