Jeff Bridges, Paul Rudd Voices Latest Adaptation of ‘The Little Prince’

Allyson Gronowitz

“The Little Prince” is one of the best-selling books of all time, and not without good reason. Written by French aristocrat, writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the 1943 novella is universally beloved for its gentle examination of loneliness, adventure and the wonders of childhood. The story has been adapted many times, but the latest— courtesy of “Kung Fu Panda” director Mark Osborne—may just outshine them all.

The film depicts the rigidly scheduled life of a little girl, voiced by the precocious Mackenzie Foy of “Interstellar” and “Ernest & Celestine.” The girl’s mother (Rachel McAdams) is insistent that every moment of every day is spent preparing for adult life, and the girl knows nothing different until she encounters her starry-eyed neighbor, the Aviator (Jeff Bridges), who regales her with tales about his encounters with the Little Prince (Riley Osborne, son of the director) and a whole menagerie of mystical personalities from far-flung planets.

The English-language voice cast is staggering. In addition to Bridges and McAdams, Paul Rudd voices the older Prince, Marion Cotillard is the Rose, James Franco the Fox and Benicio Del Toro the Snake, with additional contibutions from Ricky Gervais, Albert Brooks, Bud Cort and Paul Giamatti. In March, despite the talent involved, Paramount Pictures dropped the domestic rights to the film, but Netflix swooped in to pick it up for distribution. “The Little Prince” has already made the festival circuit around the world and has received widespread acclaim.

Osborne’s “The Little Prince” is a magical blend of CGI animation, used for the girl’s interactions with her mother, and hand-crafted stop-motion to depict the ethereal world of the Little Prince. “I really wanted to find a way to create a cinematic emotional experience that was equivalent to the emotional experience that someone can have reading the book,” Osborne told Entertainment Weekly. “I really saw the movie as an opportunity to pay tribute to the power of the book. Not just adapt the book word for word, but a chance to adapt what the book means to people, and how it affects their lives.”

Following its  universal release, “The Little Prince” will be available in the United States on Netflix on Aug. 5.