Review of The Little Prince (2015) by Douglas O — 02 Sep 2016

I remember reading this book in French class and not being sure what to make of it. I enjoyed it to an extent, but there's not much of a narrative. It's really more a series of parables, heavy on symbolism and metaphor. Although it's presented as a children's book, it's really more a mediation on childhood and what's lost when a person grows up.

I like how this movie treats the book as a launching point instead of being a straight-up adaptation. It really makes its own story within a story. Personally, I think this is a great approach to a story that's already pretty difficult to adapt. This versions nests the original story within a new cast of characters living a mundane, colorless world where everything non-essential like creativity and imagination is snuffed out. Our unnamed little girl meets an old man next door who could be stand in for Saint-Exupery, the author of "The Little Prince" book. She befriends him and applies the themes of the story to her own life.

There are plenty of movies with overworked parents who don't have time for their kids, but are trying to mold them into corporate adulthood. It's a cliche, but it really earns its place here. I like that the mother has her own story arc. There were times when I genuinely excited because I didn't know what they were going to take the story. The movie connects its own characters to the book characters in some surprising ways. I'm not going to spoil anything, but while I really did enjoy this movie, the last third kind of pushes things too far. The movie has some really good ideas, but the way it pulls it off? Well, if you thought parts of the book were preachy and oversimplified, the climax just beats the message into your head.

I wasn't very impressed with the animation until we enter "The Little Prince" proper, which is cleverly done with pencils, creased paper, and stop-motion. Not to say the rest of the animation is bad, it's just nothing special. I'm not sure if someone who grew up with "The Little Prince" will love this movie or despise it, but despite a few problems, I enjoyed it thoroughly and definitely recommend it.