"What's essential is invisible to the eye"
A little girl (voice of Mackenzie Foy) is trying to get into Werth Academy. And, thanks to her controlling Mother (voice of Rachel McAdams), she's going to be ready. Through a "Life Plan" that plans her every minute, this girl is on her way to being a grown-up quickly. One day, the girl's new neighbor accidentally has his airplane propeller land in their house. After this, the kindly neighbor (voice of Jeff Bridges) sends over the first page of a story he wrote called "The Little Prince" to try and help make amends. At first, the girl shuns the story, but eventually, she begins to be intrigued by the story and starts to form an unlikely friendship with the old man.
Visually, The Little Prince is amazing. The computer animation starts off a little ordinary, but as it goes, it begins to grow on you as more impressive effects are added as the film goes. This level of creative evolution through the movie is strong enough. But its the stop-motion, origami-style animation that really is the wow-factor here. In several scenes, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novel is brought to life through part-paper/part-clay animation that is breathtaking and worth watching all on its own. The drawing animation at the beginning is pretty awesome too.
The story here is really one movie inside of another, and its impressively-written. While remaining clean and appropriate for families, Prince doesn't shy away from darker and more mature subject matter. It's enough to keep you hooked and engaged throughout the story. And while the third act carries some unexpected elements, its all well-executed and nearly makes you cry at times.
The voice cast is mostly fantastic. Foy gives a strong lead performance here as an unnamed girl (at least her name isn't mentioned), and engages us with her innocence and maturity. Bridges is quite a trip as the Aviator, lending the kindness and gruffness you'd hope to expect. Paul Rudd has plenty of strong moments toward the end. Majority of the star-studded voice cast only has a small handful of lines (James Franco, Marion Cotillard, Bud Cort, Albert Brooks, Benicio Del Toro), but they all are nice touches to the film.
Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey's music score is pretty great, with plenty of heartfelt and memorable moments (thanks partially to a handful of singing moments from French singer Camille). Camille's tunes come close to being overused, but not quite (the opening and recurring "Tick Tock" theme does stick in your head). For Zimmer though, this might go down as one of his finest scores, right alongside The Lion King and Inception.
There's very little to complain about. The weakest links of the voice cast are Ricky Gervais and McAdams. Gervais can act, but his character comes across as just a tad annoying. McAdams does OK, but her voice doesn't really make her character as compelling as the other leads (though, to be fair, her character isn't very compelling, and doesn't appear as much as you might would think). There are a few awkward lines in the script, but they are very brief.
I personally have never read the original novel, nor did I see the 1970's film. The first I had heard of The Little Prince was when Paramount was going to release it as a major part of their animation slate. And then the teaser trailer was absolutely fantastic. Filled with great animation and a mature sensibility, I had a feeling this might would give Disney and Pixar a run for their money.
And eventually, through a Netflix free trial, I got to see the final movie. For those that don't know, the original distributor Paramount Pictures mysteriously pulled the film from release just a week before it was supposed to hit theaters. While a Netflix release would make it difficult for the film to get a DVD release, I am overall, happy that they still were able to save it from the cutting room floor. Why did Paramount not have any confidence in the film? I really don't know.
But they really shouldn't have pulled it. Because this animated treat is what I wanted it to be and more. It's more than just a great family movie (though parents of younger children should be aware of some heavy themes and sad moments). This is a story that engages you and wins your heart. It's complex. It's emotional. It's not afraid to take the right risks. And it's mature in the right way, in ways that only a select few Pixar movies have reached.
And at the same time, Prince also carries several poignant and strong messages that really hit hard today. It subtly emphasizes how the world pushes children to grow up fast, be exposed to things they shouldn't be at their young age, and push out all the creativity, imagination and innocence that children are loved and known for. It warns us of the dangers of overcrowding our lives with busyness and not taking time for the things that should matter in our lives (such as people). And it has a lot to say about death and how to move on from the passing of a friend or loved one, and how the memories of those people remain a part of us.
With this in mind, I'm looking forward to picking up Exupery's novel soon and make true comparisons from script-to-screen. With a thoughtful direction by Mark Osbourne, fantastic animation, a great cast, a deep and intriguing script, and some truly moving themes, The Little Prince isn't just one of the year's best films, it's as good as some of Pixar's finest work, and one of the best animated movies ever to not have a Disney castle at the beginning.
Score: 9.5/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Nothing profane (the worst it ever gets is one clear use each of "oh jeez!" and "darn it!")
Adult Content: Nothing inappropriate. The Little Prince loves a Rose in a very innocent way.
Violence: The Little Prince apparently dies by a snake bite (it is from a distance and we only see a small light from where he's bitten). Some grown-ups look slightly dark and scary. The little girl is threatened by mechanical claws and falls out of a tree (she has a few scratches). A plane propeller crashes into a house.
Drugs/Alcohol: None, though some possible empty alcohol bottles are spotted on a planet.
Other: While it serves a redeeming purpose in the story, the little girl rebels, lies and disobeys her mother repeatedly. The Aviator drives a car without a driver's license. Some heavy themes that aren't handled lightly that might be hard for younger kids, including death, broken families, suicide, and what is "essential".
