Review CXXXI - The Little Prince

Review 131
The Little Prince (2015)

Somehow a friend and I got on the topic of Le petit prince (The Little Prince, but whenever I refer to it in French in this review, I'm referring to the book - let me make a distinction) back in February, and we agreed we would check out the film. Personally, I felt a little conflicted as I was worried the story would be warped to fit some social agenda, as Zootopia was (please see my review to see I'm not just talking out of my ass). But hey, a deal's a deal, right? At first I thought the film had come out, but then it turned out it hadn't... Thankfully my friend proposed that we watch it this week, and in fact, found it playing at a dollar cinema near his house. Being the frugal and little-business supporter I am, I was down, so down. Heading into an almost rundown mall, we proceeded with caution into the theatre... An old man greeted us with free popcorn since it was our first time, as well as one dollar snacks. The film ticket, practically priceless. Guys, if you know of a dollar cinema in your area, go. Anyway, the man told us to proceed to room two, and sneaking in, we were presented with a huge movie area, full of cinema chairs and, well, school chairs. We sat down, dying of laughter, and the film projected on to the screen with an audience of six, the other four being two mother-child pairs. Awesome. I was set for Mark Osborne's The Little Prince. (And yes, I did watch it in English given that the film was brought forth through an American company. I'm a bit of a purist, could you tell?)

The protagonist of our story is an aspiring young girl (voiced by Mackenzie Foy) with an equally ambitious mother (Rachel McAdams). After failing an entrance exam into the prestigious Werth Academy (which was apparently named after the child the book was dedicated to, but I'm sure the word itself has to do with it), the duo move into the neighbourhood to ensure entry. However, their crazy Aviator neighbour (Jeff Bridges) will change the little girl's life forever with the story Le petit prince.

I was pleasantly surprised by this guy. I was sure, sure I would find something to hate about it, but I have to say that I don't have many complaints. It's important to know that the film is not just the original novella telling - as you can tell from my synopsis - but the story of a little girl who needs to remember that she's a little girl. She, of course, accomplishes this through her neighbour who gives her the story of The Little Prince, which actually worked super well. The film misses out on some primary characters the little prince meets along the way, but it applies the one that fit well into it. Personally, I had no problem with this because the ones it keeps it portrays properly. Honestly, it keeps the adultness of the story while still appealing to a child. I mean, I think the story is maybe lost a bit on a super young child, but it definitely doesn't contain anything super creepy or scary that a young child couldn't handle. And honestly, this is more a critique of the novella which I think is absolutely fantastic in showing a child the depressing ways of the world, but nonetheless with a way that gives a clear, perhaps ambiguous, but happy ending. Honestly, I'm sorry that I didn't read this book as a child - for particular reasons, I avoided it. But I would cent pour cent recommend it for a child, as well as an adult. Just... perfect.

But before I go on too much of a tangent about the book, let me talk about the movie. The Little Prince succeeds in a more contemporary view of the loneliness and pressure a child may face now. Parents are pushing their children to become grown-ups and adding the stress of succeeding in school. Now, I am not saying this is bad - you need to teach your children discipline and you need to show them the value of education (or at least through my view), but as the movie shows, taking it to the extreme is not the way to go about it. It also shows the single-mother household, a growing reality that I can only imagine reflects the truth - a mother who is not necessarily home as often as she can be, with a child having to grow up before their time. The Little Prince shows the faults in this: one, that a child needs to live a little before growing up and actually having to take on major responsibilities, and two, the importance of a family relationship. It should always be a parent's duty to take care of their child, not the school system they are being put into. I also think it is important for a child to have both a mother and father influence, but I don't think this was necessarily intentional from the filmmaker's point of view, i.e. having the Aviator as a male. Anyway, the film really handled this well. It stresses the idea that growing up isn't the problem, but forgetting is. And honestly, I agree. That's a philosophy of my life where I feel like having an optimistic, sometimes naive view of the world is what let's you get by. And it keeps you young at heart and sincere. Obviously I'm not saying that you should neglect all duties of your life, but anyway, I'm not going to talk about my followings - I'll let you watch the film/read the book and let you make up your own mind.

As for the animation, I was, once again, pleasantly surprised. I thought the animation was going to be... cheap for whatever reason, but it wasn't. I personally absolutely loved the animation for the story time of the little prince - I loved the organic feel, and I loved the fox's tail, hehe. That really made the film for me. Otherwise, the animation was CGI - nothing stupendous, but it did its job. But that animation for the little prince... Awesome! A great way to separate reality from fiction... You know what I mean.

Now I will get back to one point of the book that shines through, and I was just so thankful for. The lesson of taming an animal in order to make it special. Guys, this message is just too true. I remember sitting in a psychology class of mine and the teacher saying that living in huge cities has really made "there are other fish in the sea" line a reality - now, it's so easy to give up on someone to find someone "better". Our disposable culture has constructed us to think that holding out is not a goal and that we should always think of ourselves. But this story - it really shows a truth. That psychology class really hit me as my teacher seemed convinced this was normal and should be the way to live. But the reality is, if you truly care about someone, you both "tame" each other and that is what makes them special. The little prince's conflict of finding out his rose was not the only one in the world was something I think everyone feels at some point, but the fox points out that it is the connection that makes them special, even if they aren't unique. Chasing Amy addresses this in a different way, but Alyssa (our lesbian protagonist who falls for Holden) hides the fact that she has been with other guys before in order to let Holden feel special in a way she feels he never would have understood. Sometimes it's hard just through words to believe, but Le petit prince really shows this, and I felt it such a relief. Of course, if you're with someone you don't belong with, I wouldn't say stay with them, but if you find someone worth keeping, it shouldn't be about trying to find someone more unique, but toughing it out and seeing how you two belong. And honestly, if that was the message from the book alone, I would be there. I would be behind it one hundred and ten percent. And don't worry, the movie keeps this real as well. And I feel it's more applicable than ever as I grow older. Just... wonderful.

The Little Prince is what our children should watch. Yeah, it used a female protagonist just because female protagonists are lacking, but whatever, I don't care - the film stays true to a classic book which teaches us to love and treasure those around us, and shows us that grown ups can be weird, but growing up is not something to fear. Definitely a great, great story. Merci, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Vraiment, merci. And thank you, Mark Osborne, for staying true to a classic.