Le petit prince

Animation is under-estimated, perhaps because we tend to be afraid of what we do not understand.

I have seen a lot of films, done a lot of reviews and thought I had seen it all.

I was wrong.

First, I had not read the book prior to seeing this film nor had I seen the earlier screen version.

No matter. I was transfixed and stunned. I was still sitting there when the final credits rolled, which is really a feat because the credits roll for 10 minutes after the word FIN (THE END) rolls. (If you miss the credits, you miss the TURN AROUND song which itself could be highlight of one of the most incredible music scores in one of the most incredible movies ever).

When computers were first being married to animation -- a marriage made in heaven I think -- I recall an interview with a senior animator who confided that when the day came that they could get the "eyes" right, they would have reached the pinnacle of their craft.

That day has arrived. This movie is the herald.

Watching the eyes in this film, I felt as though I was watching real people. Does that make me sound daft? I hope not. There is one scene where the little girl watches the Aviator go to the hospital in the rain. She is at the same time transfixed with sadness and soaking wet. The animation made both conditions "real" at the same time. I don't know how. But it did.

Jeff Bridges, a brilliant actor with a record longer than your arm, gives the "voice" performance of his career here, and Rachael McAdams, former Femme Fatale, former "against type" actress (TRUE DETECTIVE) ditto.

Running out of superlatives, something I seldom do, so I will stop here.

See it. Don't argue. Just see it.

The movie opened today - 29 July 2015 - here in France, and I saw the second show here where I live, the small town of Paimpol. There were perhaps 30 people altogether in attendance. I could hear that the few children among them were bored. So, first comment: 1) This is not a movie for small children. It won't interest them.

2) If you are expecting a video reproduction of St Exupéry's story, you will be very disappointed. It's in this movie, but it only comprises a small part of it. Most of the movie is a frame for that tale, the story of a small girl who meets an elderly aviator who tells her, in bits and pieces, the story of his encounter, many years before, with the Little Prince. If you go expecting just what you know from St Exupéry's story, most of this movie will therefore be an annoyance to you.

It took me awhile to accept the frame story. It's fairly banal, fairly Hollywood. Nowhere near the originality of St. Exupéry's remarkable tale. But if you let yourself go with it, it has an appeal over time.

The part devoted to St. Exupéry's original tale is the best, as far as I'm concerned.

We also see the prince as an adult, very changed. That came as a shock at first to me, but again, I let myself go with it, and it had a certain fairly obvious interest.

This is not a great movie. "Ernest and Célestine" is a thousand times better. But it's worth seeing.

Again, however, this is NOT a movie for little children. They will be bored.

Very successful in bringing Little Prince into today. The movie made me to read the Little Prince again and learn more. The challenge between living natural and living modern became fully alive in my mind again and again. Like my childhood. I have a neighbor very similar to Aviator. He had long white hair and a very old jacket. He had a magic smile. I think he was very similar to Aviator. All of my memories of him became animated in front of my eyes while watching the movie. Maybe everyone has someone like Aviator in his or her life or must find. The snake scene was very deep like book. The movie made me to believe yet there is hope for peace.

There is one thing you have to know before even read about this movie, and it isn't the summary: There is already a LOT of things telling the same old story of the book. How the pilot and the prince became friends, all the adventures and beyond, in other animations and endless other media. This movie isn't about those two characters only. It's about how this story can touch people since it was created, from toddlers to grandpas, in different ways and in different ages. I've seen people say out loud "this is not little prince!", but I say "yes, it is!". Want to see a pure version? Read the book. The animation and the characters are rich and lovely, the CG and the stop motion are perfect and well used. Everything is heartwarming. If you don't know the book, you'll read it after seeing this. If you do, I'm sure you'll cry a lot. And at the end of the movie you'll want a fox for you too.

Before diving in.... FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title´s Content and Context:

Expectations you have going into a film have a tremendous influence, as you no doubt have experienced, on your take away after viewing!

Other than a couple general comments, only God knows their origin, that The Little Prince was really "worth it", I did not have much in the way of any well-defined expectations. Lucky Me! RESULT: A Nine *Star* experience!

Although my wife, Carmen, was the only person accompanying me, soon after initiating viewing, I imagined our grandchildren and daughters in the room, sharing the experience with us! My granddaughter, as is the case with most eight year old girls, loves anything involving a princess! If you have grandkids, you must watch this with them. If thousands of kilometers separate you...Use your imagination, as I did!

The LITTLE PRINCE seems tailor made for Grandparents/Grandkids viewing... a la "UP" ?

There are a few comments that need to be made regarding Little Prince "Purists"...But let's first focus on analysis.

This 2015 French version has European Production written all over it...But in the best sense. It is artistic, tells a touching and delicate story, has a number of songs in French that manage to be uplifting and, yet, simultaneously haunting, and, perhaps most importantly, interweaves the Classic 1950's Original storyline with a cautionary helicopter parent tale that both compliments and underscores said original!

Obviously, one of the great ironies of this 2015 version is that the old man/pilot takes it upon himself to help the Little Girl learn just what it is to be a kid! At the heart of both storylines is that one of the most important things in life is keeping that spark of being a kid alive within us... even if we live to be 100!

Earlier, I mentioned Little Prince purists...Well, whenever a movie brings a classic literary work to the screen, there are always viewers who want to see the original literary work brought to the screen with absolutely no changes, whatsoever to dialogue or storyline! Forget that we are dealing with the now one century old, two different medium conundrum! Needless to say, many PURISTS simply could not get past this point. Obviously, this was absolutely no problem at all for me! To the contrary, it seemed quite a plus!

PLEASE Don't Miss THE LITTLE PRINCE! And make it a family affair! (However, kids under 7 or 8 might find Prince a bit "Slow", or might not "Get It"!)

Any comments or questions, in ENGLISH o en ESPAÑOL, are most welcome!

ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!