This movie is based on the epic Chinese novel A Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng-En in the 16th Century China about the adventures of the Monkey King accompanying a Buddhist monk traveling to India to collect rare scrolls to bring home to China. This story has been the basis of many movies, television shows and plays.
Osamu Tezuka was given a director credit for the film by Toei however Tezuka didn't actually work on the film (though it is based on his manga) and his name was added for marketing purposes.
First film to feature the voice of prolific voice actor, Jonathan Winters.
One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.