“Growing up isn’t the problem, but forgetting is.”
Letting go of childhood wonder is hard to do. Oftentimes these remnants of the past are held tightly, yet the importance fades with wear. “The Little Prince” explores this transition from youth to adulthood and the difficulties that come with it.
Meet the Little Girl. She lives with her mother in a predetermined world, as her mother has planned the rest of the Little Girl’s life on a whiteboard. When the Little Girl meets the Aviator, her life is forever changed. He introduces to her the whimsical tales of the Little Prince and his Rose.
The film is designed for all ages and people from different backgrounds to enjoy. Children may marvel at the wonder and beauty that animators have put into each scene. Teenagers relate to the stress of growing up and having to conform to society’s rigid standards. Adults realize that “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“The Little Prince” is beautifully designed, as animators change from characters that resemble Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s watercolor sketches to Pixar’s doe-eyed leads. Each scene is a feast for the eyes, as colors are vibrant and warm.
The characters are diverse. The Little Girl comes from a single parent family, which is an uncommon theme for children’s movies. Her father is absent from her life, and only on her birthdays does he send an impersonal gift of a snow globe. Meanwhile, the Aviator is shunned from society. He tries to be kind to his neighbors and make connections, but they judge him for his eccentric ways.
“The Little Prince” is not afraid of touching deep subject matters. The idea of death is explored both through the Little Prince and the Aviator. In the film, death is not a permanent concept, but instead a brief goodbye.
Producers have managed to intertwine a classic story with modern characters to create a masterpiece of its own. “The Little Prince” is sure to become a favorite for movie buffs as the film is both wonderfully animated and complex.
[star rating=”5″]
