Netflix Pick – The Little Prince
The Little Prince Main Poster
It was certainly a trying week finding the Netflix Pick. From bad stand up specials (what happened to you David Cross?) to disappointing movies that went nowhere despite a stunning cast (Hateship Loveship). I’m pumped to see Kubo this coming weekend so I thought I’d give another animated film a try, that led me to The Little Prince.
Director Mark Osborne, said to have a very strong emotional connection to Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic tale, brings the world the first ever animated adaptation of the beloved story. Why it took so long for someone to bring this into the modern world with a modern telling is beyond me after watching this movie.
The Girl and The Aviator
The Little Girl (Mackenzie Foy) is being groomed by her mother to be a successful and hardworking adult. The Mother (Rachel McAdams) is loving toward her daughter but misses the point of childhood. Every minute of every day for the indefinite future is sketched out on a magnet board in the girl’s new home. The world of books, studying, work, and adulthood is interrupted with a bang when the odd ball enigmatic neighbor The Aviator (Jeff Bridges) blows a literal hole in The Girl’s structured life, quite literally knocking her plan to the floor. The friendship between The Girl and The Aviator kicks off quickly. A story of a Little Prince (Riley Osborne/Paul Rudd) who lives on an asteroid begins to unwind. While the tale may be unbelievable to the adult filled world of The Little Girl, it captures her imagination and opens her world. When a very adult tragedy disrupts The Little Girl’s new, fantastical, world only the world of wonder can help her make it right.
The core story of The Little Prince is well told. As is the story within the story. While both of these threads are tightly wound and follow their own storytelling structure; it’s insane to think that they are secondary to the deeper meanings of The Little Prince.
Based on the iconic and incredibly influential book by the same name (translated from French Le Petit Prince) The Little Prince was first published in 1943. While the story was intended for children some of the deeper meanings and beauty in the writing/storytelling may be lost on them. On a personal note I read this book at fourteen years old. At fourteen I was forced to read it and didn’t much care for it. Watching the film adaptation will not only make you appreciate the source but also appreciate the messages and quality of the writing within. Childhood, friendship, imagination, and the importance of the ties that bind us all to each other are deeply explored. The conversations get downright philosophical but the story never loses a sense of adventure.
The introductory scene where The Little Prince meets The Fox (James Franco) is especially moving. The Fox educated the Prince on friendship and “establishing ties.” The Fox, like the Prince’s rose, tells him that he is one little boy like a thousand others and the fox has no need for him. At the same time the fox is one of a thousand foxes and the prince has no need in turn. But if the two establish a connection, a friendship, then what they are is unique and necessary to each other.
The animation wasn’t done by either of the big two that seem to be competing for kid’s money at the box office, but it rivals either Dreamworks or Pixar. A slew of smaller studios teamed with Paramount Animation to deliver a beautiful and highly stylized film. Really, two animation styles, and two films in one. The world of The Little Girl has a clean cut modern 3D appearance and the world of The Little Prince is more artistic than many modern computer animated films. The cast is outstanding. Household names and lesser known talents blend perfectly for a voice cast that doesn’t have a single weak link.
With the quality of animation and talents behind it I don’t know why The Little Prince wasn’t pushed for a big theatrical release. Perhaps the cost of distribution and advertising? Maybe Netflix is a larger distribution platform than most movie-goers give it credit for? Either way in a summer almost void of spectacular standouts, and certainly void of surprise, The Little Prince is your Netflix Pick and a personal recommendation of a fantastic movie. I need to get in touch with my old friends and go home to hug my dog.
