This episode and the next three ("A Smile As Red As Blood," "Three Golden Hairs," and "Faithful Johannes") split up the stories contained in the fifth and sixth chapters of the original book, A Smile As Red As Blood (which tells Gretel's story) and The Three Golden Hairs (which tells Hansel's).
This episode is one of two episodes (the other being episode ten, "The Royal Family") that does not share a title with a chapter of the book.
Raini Rodriguez (Gretel) and David Henrie (the handsome young man) both starred in Disney Channel shows, Rodriguez in Austin and Allie and Henrie in Wizards of Waverly Place.