It’s been a decade since Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) premiered at Cannes, and honestly, the film still feels like a bit of a miracle. Most people expected a straight adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 novella. You know the one. The thin book with the watercolor drawings of a boy in a scarf and a very demanding rose. Instead, we got a movie about a little girl, a neurotic mother, and a decrepit aviator living in a house that looks like it was built out of scrap metal and dreams.
It was a bold move.
The Little Prince movie doesn’t just retell the story; it creates a "frame narrative" that acts as a bridge between Saint-Exupéry’s philosophy and the high-pressure, soul-crushing reality of modern childhood. It’s meta. It’s emotional. It’s also visually stunning because it switches between sleek, computer-generated animation for the "real world" and breathtaking hand-carved stop-motion for the actual story of the Prince.
The gamble of changing a classic
If you’re a purist, the first twenty minutes of the Little Prince movie might feel like a betrayal. We are introduced to the Little Girl (voiced by Mackenzie Foy), whose entire life is governed by a "Life Plan" board created by her mother. It is brutal. Every minute of her day is scheduled—from 8:00 AM study sessions to 4:00 PM "making friends" (which is just a slot on a calendar).
This is where Osborne gets it right.
Saint-Exupéry wrote his book during World War II as a critique of "grown-ups" who only care about figures and geography rather than the essential things that are invisible to the eye. By placing the story in a world of hyper-competitive schooling and corporate drudgery, the film makes those 80-year-old themes feel incredibly urgent. The Mother (Rachel McAdams) isn't a villain; she’s just a product of a world that has forgotten how to look at the stars. She’s scared for her daughter’s future. We’ve all been there.
Then there’s the Aviator. Jeff Bridges voices him with this raspy, eccentric warmth that makes you want to climb over his fence and help him fix his plane. When he throws a paper airplane made from the pages of his memoir over to the Little Girl, the movie finally breathes.
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Why the stop-motion segments matter so much
The animation styles are the heartbeat of this film. The CG world is gray, sharp, and mathematical. But when we enter the world of the Prince, the texture changes. It’s paper. It’s clay. It feels like something a person actually touched with their hands.
Jamie Caliri, the creative director for the stop-motion sequences, used paper to create the desert dunes and the Prince’s tiny planet, Asteroid B-612. This wasn't just an aesthetic choice. It was a tribute to Saint-Exupéry’s own illustrations. When the Prince (voiced by Riley Osborne) speaks to the Fox (James Franco), the movement is slightly jittery, physical, and profoundly human.
The Fox tells us: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
In a world dominated by $200 million Pixar sequels, seeing a film use paper and light to convey the most famous quote in French literature is... well, it’s refreshing. It’s a reminder that animation is an art form, not just a product.
The third act controversy: Did they go too far?
Now, we have to talk about the part where the movie gets weird.
About two-thirds of the way through, the Little Girl goes on a journey to find the Prince. She discovers him as a grown-up—Mr. Prince—who has forgotten his past and works as a bumbling janitor for the Businessman.
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A lot of critics hated this.
They felt it was too "Hollywood" or that it ruined the mystery of the original ending. In the book, the Prince allows the snake to bite him so he can return to his rose. It’s a heavy, bittersweet ending about death and transcendence. By bringing the Prince back as an adult, some felt the film diluted that impact.
But look at it differently.
The grown-up Prince is a personification of what happens when we let our "inner child" die. He is the ultimate cautionary tale. When the Little Girl helps him remember his "essential" self, she isn't just saving a character; she’s saving her own future. She’s deciding that she won't grow up to be a drone. It’s a psychological externalization of the book’s core message.
The music that glues it together
You can't talk about the Little Prince movie without mentioning Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey. Usually, Zimmer is known for "BWAHHH" sounds and massive orchestral swells (think Inception or Dune). Here, he’s playful.
He collaborated with French singer Camille, whose vocals add a whimsical, Gallic flavor to the soundtrack. The track "Suis-moi" is an absolute earworm. It captures the frantic energy of a child finally being allowed to play. The music shifts seamlessly from the mechanical tick-tock of the city to the ethereal, airy sounds of the desert. It’s one of Zimmer’s most underrated scores, honestly.
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A rocky road to your screen
The film had a bizarre release history. Paramount was supposed to release it in the United States in 2016 but dropped it just a week before its premiere. It was a disaster for the marketing team. Netflix eventually swooped in and saved it, which is why most people in the U.S. associate it with the "Netflix Original" tag, even though it was an independent French-Canadian production.
It went on to become the most successful French animated film abroad of all time.
That’s a big deal. It proved that there is a global appetite for "difficult" children’s stories. Not everything needs to be a loud comedy with pop-culture references. Sometimes, kids (and adults) need to sit with the idea that "growing up is not the problem, forgetting is."
How to actually watch it today
If you’re planning to watch the Little Prince movie this weekend, don't just put it on in the background while you fold laundry.
- Watch the French version if you can. The English dub is fantastic—Jeff Bridges is a treasure—but there is a specific rhythm to the original French dialogue that feels closer to Saint-Exupéry’s soul. Marion Cotillard voices the Rose in both versions, so you won't miss out on her performance.
- Read the book first (or again). The movie hits ten times harder if you have the original text fresh in your mind. The film is a conversation with the book.
- Pay attention to the color palette. Watch how the colors slowly bleed from the Aviator’s yard into the Little Girl’s bedroom as the movie progresses. It’s a visual representation of her world expanding.
The Little Prince movie reminds us that we are all just "tempting the Fox" in our own ways—trying to create bonds in a world that moves too fast. It’s a film about grief, too. The Aviator knows he is dying, and he is trying to prepare his young friend for a world without him. That’s a heavy lift for a "kids' movie," but it handles it with incredible grace.
Your next steps for a deeper experience
To get the most out of this story beyond just hitting play on a streaming app, consider these specific actions:
- Visit the Morgan Library website: The original manuscript and drawings for The Little Prince are housed at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. They often have digital galleries showing Saint-Exupéry’s initial sketches, which were used as direct references for the stop-motion puppets in the film.
- Explore "The Little Prince" VR: If you have a VR headset, there are immersive experiences that allow you to stand on Asteroid B-612. It’s a weirdly emotional way to see the scale of the Prince's tiny world.
- Compare the "Businessman" scenes: Re-read the chapter about the Businessman who counts the stars and then watch the scene in the movie where he has literally turned the stars into energy for his city. It’s a perfect example of how the film "updates" the book’s metaphors for a 21st-century audience.
- Listen to the Camille tracks: Find the "Le Petit Prince" soundtrack on Spotify or Apple Music and listen to "Equation." It perfectly mimics the repetitive, boring nature of the school world before breaking into a melody—it's a masterclass in storytelling through sound.
The movie isn't just a distraction for children. It’s a tool for anyone who feels like they’re losing their spark in the daily grind. It tells us it’s okay to be a little bit "broken" or "eccentric," as long as we don't forget how to see the sheep inside the box.