The other night, I watched the Netflix original version of “The Little Prince” and that same evening, I realized it might just be my new favorite movie. This came as a bit of a surprise (“The Nightmare Before Christmas” has held the top spot since 2005). I had read the book, by Antoine de Saint-Exubery, in both English and French when I was young. I always found the book charming, even mesmerizing, but I never thought of it as a favorite work. When I saw it available on Netflix, I vaguely remembered the book had a creativity-centric theme, so decided to watch it on a whim.
I didn't expect it to be so powerful. And in addition, it is artful, touching and quite deep. Even though it’s an animated feature and the main character is an eight-year-old girl, I found it—like the book—far more suited to adults than to children. As a member of Generation Z, and a writer, I realized at once how this movie addresses the fears and dreams I, and countless others, face in the future.
As a disclaimer, I will say that the film is not simply an adaptation of Saint-Exubery’s book. It’s an expansion, and the frame around the Prince’s tale is the main focus instead of the Prince himself. I do wish there had been more of the original story, but the movie as a standalone was extremely well-done. I am head-over-heels for the flashback pieces of the Prince’s story, as brief as they are. As its own piece of art, Netflix’s “The Little Prince” is well worth the watch.
The reason I say this is one of the most important films I’ve ever seen is because it discusses imagination and growing up in the best way possible.
No one can avoid growing up. The Aviator says as much in the movie. The important thing, he says, is not forgetting. The Aviator tells the little girl (or "Sweetheart" since she’s never given a name), about his adventures as a young man and his run-in with the Little Prince, a boy from a strange little planet who had to learn about growing up the hard way. Before hearing these stories, Sweetheart had only lived an ultra-structured life centered on academic progression. There was no time for friends or stories. Sweetheart’s first real encounter with imagination happens when she meets the Aviator. He is the one person she’s ever met who still understands what it is like to be a child and to have a child’s lightheartedness, even in the midst of a dull and monotonous grown-up’s world.
The setting itself is a stab at the modern American education system. Several places in the movie show how creativity and imagination are stifled—even obliterated—by a focus on growing up like everyone else. Textbooks, desks and endless papers symbolize the suffocating transition from imaginative freedom to social conformity. Perhaps the strongest, most relatable moment is when Sweetheart gets cuffed to a desk and the villain, instead of letting her read the book of "Essentials," forces her to sign all the agreements and snaps an identification photo before she’s ready. It reminded me quite a bit of Twenty-One Pilot’s “Stressed Out.”
Personally, this movie found resonance with every side of me. My decision to major in Writing Communications has always filled me with doubt and fear, but also self-confidence and assurance at the same time. Seeing how the writers and directors of “The Little Prince” melded all those exact emotions struck me. I cried at least four times—and not just "movie tears," either. I am still astounded by how much I felt during that hour and fifty minutes. It doesn’t take much to get me obsessing over fiction, but it’s worth noting just how far this went beyond the norm. After the movie ended, I had to stare at the ceiling for a while to think about everything I had just seen.
All in all, the film creators put real heart into making Saint-Exubery’s masterpiece a new, modern story while carrying on the original story’s message. I will always hope the same filmmakers will turn the book alone into its own full-length feature, but for now, my writer side is more than satiated by this brilliant commentary on childhood and imagination. I’ve always taken joy in the fact that I can see elephants inside snakes, and not just hats. Now, that joy is amplified by the beauty of this lovely and enchanting film.
