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The Little Prince (2015 film)

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The Little Prince
File:The Little Prince (2015 film) poster.jpg
French theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Osborne
Screenplay byIrena Brignull
Bob Persichetti
Story byIrena Brignull
Bob Persichetti
Produced byDimitri Rassam
Aton Soumache
Alexis Vonarb
StarringJeff Bridges
Rachel McAdams
Paul Rudd
Marion Cotillard
James Franco
Benicio del Toro
Ricky Gervais
CinematographyKris Kapp
Adel Abada
Edited byCarole Kravetz Aykanian
Matt Landon
Music byRichard Harvey
Hans Zimmer
Production
companies
Onyx Films
Orange Studio
On Entertainment
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • 22 May 2015 (2015-05-22) (Cannes)[1]
  • 29 July 2015 (2015-07-29) (France)[2]
  • 18 March 2016 (2016-03-18) (United States)
  • [3] ([3])
Running time
108 minutes[5]
CountryFrance[4]
LanguageEnglish[6][7]
Budget$77.5 million[8]
Box office$67.6 million[9]

The Little Prince (French: Le Petit Prince)[10] is a 2015 English-language French[4] 3D stop motion and computer-animated family drama adventure fantasy film directed by Mark Osborne for Gallic S3D. Irena Brignull and Bob Persichetti wrote the script based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. As the first animated feature film adaptation of The Little Prince,[11] the film uses stop motion animation for the novel's story and computer animation for an additional frame narrative. The film stars the voices of Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Benicio del Toro, Ricky Gervais, Bud Cort, Paul Giamatti, Albert Brooks, Riley Osborne and Mackenzie Foy.

The film is not a straight adaptation of Saint-Exupéry's novel. Rather, elements from the novel are woven into an original narrative about a young girl who befriends the story's now elderly aviator narrator as she deals with her overbearing mother. The film premiered on 22 May 2015 at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in an out-of-competition screening,[1] followed by a wide theatrical release in France on 29 July 2015 by Paramount Pictures.[2] The U.S. theatrical release is scheduled for March 18, 2016.[3] The film has earned $67.6 million on a $77.5 million budget.

Plot

The mother of a prodigious young girl wants her daughter to enroll in the prestigious Werth Academy. To ensure her daughter will pass the entrance exam, the mother imposes on her a rigorous study schedule over the course of the summer that leaves little room for leisure. The girl becomes distracted by her next-door neighbor, an elderly, retired aviator who shares with her the story of a young boy from a distant asteroid, the "little prince", whom he supposedly encountered in a desert after crashing his plane. As the two play together without the mother's knowledge, the aviator tells the girl that he must "leave" soon.

After the aviator almost gets into a car accident with the girl in his car, her mother learns of their friendship and forbids the girl from distracting herself from her studies again. The girl secretly visits the aviator to finish his story, which ends with the prince sacrificing himself to a venomous snake bite to reunite with his beloved rose. The girl is upset by the sad ending and angrily regrets meeting the aviator.

Towards the end of the summer, the aviator is taken ill and is hospitalized. The girl, wanting to make amends with him, runs out into the night to find the prince. She flies the aviator's plane to an asteroid populated exclusively by adults who joylessly work for the star-hoarding businessman from the aviator's story. There she finds the prince, now an adult janitor named "Mr. Prince", who has forgotten his past and fears disappointing the businessman. The prince takes the girl to an academy where the teacher attempts to forcibly turn her into a submissive, workaholic adult. The prince, suddenly recalling his past, rescues the girl and helps her recover her plane to escape. While doing so, the girl and prince confront the businessman and release all of his hoarded stars back into the sky where they belong.

The girl takes the prince to his home asteroid, which is now infested with baobab trees. The prince's rose is dead, but he and the girl see an image of the rose in the rising sun. The sight transforms the prince into a young boy again, and the girl returns to Earth with the aid of a flock of birds. The next morning, the girl and her mother visit the aviator in the hospital, where she presents the aviator with a novel of his completed story. The girl then begins her semester at Werth Academy as she develops a better relationship with her mother. As the girl and her mother gaze upon the stars one night, the laughter of the aviator and the little prince is heard, implying the aviator died.

Cast

Character Actor
The Little Girl Mackenzie Foy
The Aviator Jeff Bridges
The Mother Rachel McAdams
The Little Prince Riley Osborne[12]
Mr. Prince Paul Rudd[13]
The Fox James Franco
The Rose Marion Cotillard
The Snake Benicio del Toro
The Academy Teacher Paul Giamatti
The King Bud Cort
The Businessman Albert Brooks
The Conceited Man Ricky Gervais
The Nurse Jacquie Barnbrook
The Concerned Neighbor Marcel Bridges
The Policeman Jeffy Branion

Production

On 14 October 2010, Kung Fu Panda co-director Mark Osborne was hired and set to direct The Little Prince based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for Gallic S3D. Irena Brignull and Bob Persichetti wrote the script for the film. Aton Soumache, Alexis Vonarb and Dimitri Rassam produced the film with the budget of €57 million for release in 2015.[8][11] On 5 June 2013, it was announced that James Franco, Marion Cotillard, Mackenzie Foy, Benicio del Toro, Paul Giamatti, Rachel McAdams and Jeff Bridges joined the film.[14] Albert Brooks joined the cast on 12 September to voice The Businessman, a villain.[15] On 10 December 2014, it was announced that Hans Zimmer would compose the music for the film.[16] The final score was co-composed by Hans and Richard Harvey.[17] The film features a framing device not present in the novel, with a schoolgirl discovering The Little Prince through a reclusive elderly neighbor. The film uses computer animation for the girl's world and stop-motion animation for the world of The Little Prince as she imagines it.[18] Development and storyboarding of the film was completed in Paris, France. Production then moved to Montreal, Canada for the final phases of animation, lighting, color and production in order to maximize tax credits offered to foreign film projects in Canada.[4]

Release and distribution

On 11 September 2014, Warner Bros. Japan released a teaser from the film.[19] Wild Bunch is overseeing international film sales. Paramount Pictures released the film in France on July 29, 2015; its US art house film division Paramount Vantage will handle distribution in United States,[4] Entertainment One in Canada,[20] and The Weinstein Company in UK, Australia and New Zealand,[21] though as November 2015 there are not yet planned released date in all the above countries. Warner Bros. assumed distribution in Germany and Japan.[4] The film was chosen in 'Official Selection' for the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in May 22, 2015.[22] The film will be released in the United States on 18 March 2016.[23]

Reception

Box office

As of September 20, it has grossed $12.1 million in France[24] and, as of December 1, $67.6 million worldwide.[9] In its opening week in France, The Little Prince earned $3.3 million from 727 screens debuting at No. 2 at the French box office and its opening was 12% ahead of Disney's Big Hero 6.[25] In its second weekend it grossed $1.4 million (down 41%) from 830 screens for a two weekend total of $5.5 million.[26] The film debuted at No. 2 in Brazil on August 20, behind of Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, with 330 thousand tickets sold.[27] In its second weekend, it topped the box office with over 851 thousand tickets sold, making history in Brazil as the first non-American animated film to lead the box office in the country. The film kept the first place at the Brazilian box office for three consecutive weeks.[28] As of October 5, the film has grossed over R$27 million (US$7.14 million)[29] and as of October 18, it reached over 2 million admissions in Brazil.[30] The film opened in China on October 16,[31] where it grossed $10.9 million in its opening weekend ranking third behind Ant-Man and Goodbye Mr. Loser,[32][33] and has grossed a total of $20.9 million in 10 days.[34] By its third weekend, it had grossed US$24 million.[35] It was number-one on its second weekend in Japan.[36]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 95%, based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[37] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[38]

Soundtrack

Untitled

The Little Prince: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the film's soundtrack album and score made by Hans Zimmer, Camille and Richard Harvey and was released on July 24, 2015 by Because Music.

Soundtrack list

  • Preparation
  • Suis-moi (feat. Camille)
  • The Life Plan
  • Driving
  • Equation (feat. Camille)
  • The Interview
  • Le Tour de France en Diligence (feat. Camille)
  • Plan B
  • Getting On With It
  • Amongst the Coins
  • Top Floor Please
  • Ascending
  • Parachutes
  • Draw Me A Sheep
  • Stars
  • The Fox
  • The Journey
  • The Absurd Waltz
  • Suis-moi (Reprise) (feat. Camille)
  • Recovery
  • Trapped Stars
  • Farewell
  • Escape
  • Finding the Rose
  • Growing Up

References

  1. ^ a b "Cannes 2015 Schedule". Rachel McAdams Online. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Le Petit Prince". Facebook. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b Kit, Borys. "Paramount Animation Sets Release Dates for 'Little Prince,' 'Spongebob Squarepants 3'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The Little Prince Press Kit". Wild Bunch International Sales. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 18 May 2015 suggested (help)
  5. ^ "The 2015 Official Selection". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  6. ^ Chang, Justin (April 16, 2015). "Cannes Unveils 2015 Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved August 18, 2015. ...Mark Osborne's French-produced, English-language adaptation of "The Little Prince,"...
  7. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (April 16, 2015). "Cannes 2015: Woody Allen and Todd Haynes to join Pixar and Portman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 18, 2015. ...while a second English-language animated movie,...
  8. ^ a b Hopewell, John (16 January 2014). "Soumache, Rassam Launch ON Entertainment". Variety. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  9. ^ a b "The Little Prince (2015)". the-numbers.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  10. ^ "Le Petit Prince - Press Kit" (PDF). Festival Cannes. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  11. ^ a b Keslassy, Elsa (20 April 2015). "Watch Second Trailer for Mark Osborne's Cannes-Bound 'The Little Prince' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  12. ^ Mejia, Paula (21 April 2015). "Big-Budget 'The Little Prince' Film Unveils Official Trailer". Newsweek. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  13. ^ Foundas, Scott (May 22, 2015). "Cannes Film Review: 'The Little Prince'". Variety. Retrieved June 21, 2015. ...and the now-adolescent Prince (Paul Rudd)...
  14. ^ "James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges Among Voice Stars for The Little Prince". The Hollywood Reporter. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. ^ "Albert Brooks Lends Voice To The Little Prince". Deadline.com. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  16. ^ "Hans Zimmer to Score The Little Prince". Film Music Reporter. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  17. ^ "The Little Prince Movie Information". soundtrack.net. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  18. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (5 May 2014). "Wild Bunch boards Little Prince". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  19. ^ "The Little Prince 2015 Japanese Teaser". Yam-Mag.com. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  20. ^ Vlessing, Etan (20 May 2014). "Cannes: Entertainment One Acquires Trio of Films for Canada". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  21. ^ "Harvey Weinstein reveals 'Southpaw' Cannes slot offer". Screen Daily. 14 May 2015.
  22. ^ "The Little Prince Cannes 2015". festival-cannes.fr. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  23. ^ Kit, Borys (November 10, 2015). "Paramount Animation Sets Release Dates for 'Little Prince,' 'SpongeBob SquarePants 3'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  24. ^ Nancy Tartaglione (September 21, 2015). "'Scorch Trials' Heats Up $43.2M; 'Everest' Scales $28.8M – Intl Box Office Final". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved September 22, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  25. ^ Nancy Tartaglione (August 3, 2015). "'Rogue Nation' Puts Cruise In Control At $64.5M Offshore; Sets Career & 'M:I' Franchise Bests – Intl Box Office Final". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved August 4, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  26. ^ Nancy Tartaglione (August 10, 2015). "'Rogue Nation' Flies Higher In 2nd Frame With $65M; 'Fantastic Four' No. 2 With $33.1M Bow – Intl Box Office Update". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved August 11, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  27. ^ "Bilheterias Brasil: O Pequeno Príncipe não consegue tirar Missão Impossível da liderança". adorocinema.com (in Portuguese). August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  28. ^ "Bilheterias Brasil: Na segunda semana de exibição, O Pequeno Príncipe assume a liderança". adorocinema.com (in Portuguese). August 31, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  29. ^ "Comédia brasileira "Vai Que Cola" estreia no topo das bilheterias do país". cinema.uol.com.br (in Portuguese). 5 October 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  30. ^ "Bilheterias Brasil: O Pequeno Príncipe". adorocinema.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  31. ^ "小王子（2015）". cbooo.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  32. ^ "'The Little Prince' Launches in China with $10.8 Million". cartoonbrew.com. October 20, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  33. ^ Patrick Brzeski (October 20, 2015). "China Box Office: 'Ant-Man' Goes Big With $43M Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  34. ^ Patrick Brzeski (October 27, 2015). "China Box Office: 'Ant-Man' Stays Strong, 'Pan' Flops Hard on Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  35. ^ Patrick Frater (November 2, 2015). "China Box Office: 'The Witness' Sees Victory Over 'Ant-Man'". variety.com. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  36. ^ Mark Schilling (November 30, 2015). "Japan Box Office: 'Prince' Takes The Throne". variety.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  37. ^ "The Little Prince (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  38. ^ "The Little Prince reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
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