Set in New York City circa 1939, the film centers on a reporter who notices that the world's scientists are disappearing. Teamed with a skilled pilot and an adventurous colleague, it's up to her to thwart the plans of a mad scientist bent on world domination.

The entire movie was shot against blue screen, with everything except the main characters computer generated. This was one of several movies to take that approach (although which was first is debatable), including: Immortel (ad vitam) (2004), Casshern (2004), and Sin City (2005), the last of which shot on High-Definition digital cameras, like this movie.

Polly Perkins:
[after Joe wouldn't let her go back to get her case of film that was in cave that was about to explode] You should've let me go back for my film.


Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan:
You're right, I should've.

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The movie is plainly set in an "alternative" reality, so apparent errors of history and geography can be discounted. We don't know how many World Wars there have been in their reality, nor when films, etc, were released.

Written by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen
Performed by Jane Monheit
Used by permission of EMI Feist Catalog Inc.
Jane Monheit appears courtesy of Sony Classical