Le Petit Prince, or The Little Prince in English, first came to my attention when I was taking French in high school. It was actually one of my favorite things we did in French class. We read this “children’s book” in French and then translated it. However, it isn’t just a children’s book. It is a book with quite a lot of depth and lessons to be learned… which could be hard when you are a teenager just struggling to figure out what things mean. Nevertheless, we did make it through the book and it became one of my favorites and sits on my shelf today in my office.
When it was announced that Le Petit Prince was being made into a movie, I definitely was skeptical. Part of the beauty of this book is its simplicity. Quite often, CGI movies aren’t known for being simple. When the trailer appeared online, I still had to click on it. Before I get into my thoughts, here is the trailer:
So what do you think?
I have watched this trailer several times and I’m a bit smitten. First off, it feels very French. I personally would like to see this version I think rather than the English speaking version that starring Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, James Franco, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais, and Albert Brooks to name a few. The movie itself looks beautiful. It is CGI-stop animation. Visually, it does a nice job of translating the feel of the book to the big screen it seems, even using elements from the original book. From what I gathered from the trailer, the dialogue and story will do the same. The result will hopefully be a beautiful and very French retelling of a fantastic story that has been loved by millions. At this point, it looks like they are definitely on the right track.
Le Petit Prince, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was first published in 1943. Since then, it has been translated into 250 different languages worldwide with over 140 million copies sold. The movie is being directed by Mark Osborne.
Here’s a translation of the trailer courtesy of Vulture:
Old man: Oh, oh! I’m here! Up here! [He waves.] Good evening!
Little girl: [Reading] Once upon a time, a little prince who needed a friend?
Old man: I’ve flown almost everywhere in the world, until something miraculous happened.
Little Prince: Please, draw me a sheep.
Old man: I’ve always wanted to find someone to share my story with, but I think this world has become too grown-up … It’s only the beginning of the story!
What did YOU think?
Faites-en une belle journée!
– Mr. DAPs
