With the Genie's help, he defeats the two guards by out dancing them. The Harem Girl then joins him and the Genie, after he changes her clothes into a Women's Naval Uniform. The film ends with the three of them dancing into the distance together. The movie began filming on August 19, 1952 in London and completed there in February 1953 before moving to Hollywood for filming of the final sequence which took several more weeks and in total was MGM's second longest shooting schedule. The cartoon sequence was later announced to be ready to be completed by June 15, 1954, 19 months after filming began. "Invitation To The Dance" was originally planned for a 1954 release. Poor preview response delayed the release for two years while the film was tinkered with. When the movie finally opened it played in special "art house" theaters with souvenir programs in an attempt to appeal to an upscale audience. But, despite containing some of Gene Kelly's best dancing and a very imaginative Arabian Nights' partly animated children's ballet with a talented ten year old David Kasday dancing a duet with Kelly, the film failed to find an audience. Consequently, the movie was a financial failure. According to MGM records it only earned $200,000 in the US and Canada and $415,000 elsewhere recording a loss of $2,523,000, making it the studio's biggest flop of the year. The film won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 6th Berlin International Film Festival.