It was produced by Walt Disney Productions during an era when they began releasing more adult-oriented films, including Condorman, Never Cry Wolf, and Tron.

[1] After Leider's association with EMI ended, he brought the project to Disney, encouraged by the company's recent interest in working with independent producers.

He gave a copy of the screenplay to Disney production chief Tom Wilhite on the Friday before a holiday weekend, and an agreement was reached the following Tuesday.

[1] With Ronald Lacey as Princess Aida, a 1982 article in Variety noted Trenchcoat may have been the first Disney release to feature an openly homosexual character.

Trenchcoat, Never Cry Wolf, and the international distribution of Dragonslayer are widely regarded as the films that led to the launch of Touchstone Pictures on February 15, 1984.