The Little Prince is based on a novella written by French writer, aristocrat, and aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
The Little Prince was first published on April 1943. The novella was then translated to French and English in the United States by publishing company Reynal & Hitchcock. The story is about a young adventurous prince who travels to multiple planets in space.
The novella addresses themes about loss, loneliness, friendship, and love. Even though the story is structured as a children’s book, it focuses on observations based on human nature and more importantly life. The Little Prince became Saint-Exupéry’s most successful and critical acclaimed work to date. The Novella sold an estimated 140 million copies all over the world. The novella is one of the most translated and best selling books ever published. Additionally it has been translated into three-hundred and one languages.
The story has been adapted into many forms of media, including multiple films (including the 2015 film, which I will be reviewing), audio recordings, television, ballets, operas, live stage, and radio plays. The story of the little prince exploring space with philosophical themes has aged well over the course of multiple decades.
The Little Prince (2015) Review
This animated adaptation of The Little Prince first premiered in May 22, 2015 at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. It was then released in France on July 29th by Paramount Pictures. The film then premiered to a mass audiences on Netflix in 2016. Now after five years after its original release, the animated film will be making its Blu-Ray Debut on February 9, 2021.
The Little Prince animated film adapts the novella faithfully, with a modern twist and story. Like the novella, it features the story of the young prince and his adventures in space. The novella’s story is narrated by one of the film’s main characters, the Elderly Aviator, voiced by Jeff Bridges.
In the film, the Little Prince’s story is told to the main character, an unnamed girl voiced by MacKenzie Foy. The young girl in the film is facing a crisis in which she is pressured by her workaholic mother into being structured or groomed as a perfect individual in society. Basically the young girl is being forced to grow up faster than her own pace and is encouraged to forget about her childhood.
This all changes when she meets her eccentric neighbor, an elderly aviator. The aviator tells her the story of the Little Prince.
Throughout the film we see their relationship grow, as he teaches the girl how to enjoy life and different ways to have a creative mindset. But most importantly the Aviator teaches the girl, and audience, an important lesson. That lesson is “growing up is not the problem, forgetting is”. Meaning it’s normal to age, but we must not forget any fun or loving memories we had in our childhood, and to continue to remember loved ones. The film is animated using a combination of 3D and stop-motion animation techniques, with the stop-motion animation being implemented during the scenes with the elderly aviator’s narration.
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The Little Prince is enjoyable, entertaining, and very heartwarming to watch. The film was paced very well and it never felt slow. The movie also surprisingly had some action scenes that were more than enjoyable, and didn’t take away the flow of the film.
The chemistry between the Elderly Aviator and young girl was well handled and is the film’s main highlight. Additionally the chemistry between the young girl and her mother, voiced by Rachel McAdams, should be also praised.
However the thing that I most admire about this film is it keeping true and giving respect to the novella which this film is based on. It’s not a direct copy and paste adaptation of the source material, however the writers and director were able to give us a story that not only will please fans of the original book’s story, but also be loved by casual audiences.
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The cast does a phenomenal job in voicing their respective characters especially Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridges, and Rachel McAdams. The use of stop-motion animation during the Little Prince’s story scenes was also very clever and creative.
Finally the film also does a great job in relating it’s core themes about aging, friendship, and most importantly loss to the viewer. The Little Prince’s story, core messages, relatable themes, and even emotional impact are so heartwarming and deep, that some could say this film is similar to successful Pixar films such as Soul, Inside Out, Coco, Up, Wall-E, and especially Toy Story 3.
Overall I had a great time watching this film. I can even say there were times I felt very emotional and even could relate to what the young girl was facing throughout the film. If you haven’t watched this underrated masterpiece I would say give it a watch. If you love animated films with great story, themes, characters, The Little Prince is a movie for you.
Score: 5/5
The Little Prince Official Press Release
Own The Visually Stunning Film February 9, 2021 With Making-Of-Featurette and Music Video
The beautiful animated adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s timeless story THE LITTLE PRINCE arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD for the first time on February 9, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
“As fragile and beautiful as the beloved rose guarded by the wee fellow of the title” (Kyle Smith, New York Post), THE LITTLE PRINCE tells the classic story of love and humanity in a film that’s filled with “charm and sweetness” (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian).
Featuring an all-star voice cast including Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais, Albert Brooks, Paul Rudd, Mackenzie Foy, and Paul Giamatti, THE LITTLE PRINCE debuted on Netflix in 2016.
THE LITTLE PRINCE Blu-Ray and DVD include a 25-Minute featurette on the making of the film, as well as a music video for the song “Turnaround” by Camille. The Blu-Ray additionally includes a digital copy of the film.
The Little Prince Synopsis
From the director of Kung Fu Panda comes this critically acclaimed, re-imagined take on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Classic Story. At it’s heart is “The Little Girl” (Mackenzie Foy), prepared by her mother (Rachel McAdams) for the very grown-up real-world. After her eccentric, kind hearted neighbor, “The Aviator” (Jeff Bridges) introduces her to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, she learns of “The Little Prince” (Riley Osborne). And so begins the magical and emotional journey where one learns, amongst other things, it’s the human connections that matter most.
The Little Prince arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD for the first time on February 9, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
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