Mark Osborne’s much-anticipatedThe Little Prince has already wowed audiences at Cannes with its combination of CGI visuals and storybook stop-motion animation, earning it the title of “most successful film abroad” in French movie-making history. Now, less than a week after it was suddenly and inexplicably dropped by its U.S. distributor Paramount—just days before its planned Stateside release—the film has been acquired by Netflix, with plans for a release on the streaming service later this year.
An adaptation of a beloved, oft-translated 1943 novella from French author and aviator Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, Osborne’s movie tells the story of a young girl who breaks away from her mother’s all-consuming study regimen to befriend her elderly neighbor. The old pilot delights her with tales of the eponymous character, a visitor from a distant asteroid who becomes stranded in one of Earth’s vast deserts. Osborne—Oscar nominated for his work on Kung Fu Panda—assembled a ridiculously good voice cast to capture his story’s dialogue; Jeff Bridges plays the aging Aviator, while Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Albert Brooks, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro, and a healthy handful of other high-profile actors all contributed their talents to the film.
It’s not clear why Paramount decided to drop the movie, which was expected to open in U.S. theaters tomorrow. It’ll likely be to Netflix’s gain, though; the service hasn’t announced exactly when The Little Prince will be available to stream.
