Film

The Little Prince

Name: The Little Prince
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Family, Music
Released: 1974
Cast: Steven Warner, Richard Kiley, Bob Fosse, Gene Wilder, Donna McKechnie

Other titles called The Little Prince: the 2015 film.

Fantasy

Stanley Donen's 1974 musical adaptation of Saint-Exupéry's novella is a strange, dreamlike fable about friendship and loss. The Little Prince arrives in the Sahara as storybook whimsy—lush sets, gorgeous songs, genuine tenderness—but it moves with the logic of memory and grief rather than plot. Visually sumptuous and emotionally sincere, if narratively patient.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you hold a soft spot for whimsical musicals that treat a children's classic with sincere, slightly eccentric affection, and you don't mind a story that wanders through its own dreamlike logic.

Skip it if your patience for whimsy runs thin, since the songs arrive often, the sweetness is thick, and the pace is leisurely.

What it asks of you: Expect a loose, episodic shape with a light touch rather than a tight plot, and a running time of about an hour and a half that goes by gently.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The NeverEnding Story1984

A child's imagination made literal, grounded in genuine melancholy. Like The Little Prince, it respects both wonder and the pain of growing up, with unforgettable practical creatures and a score that lingers.

But The pacing can feel slow; it asks you to sit with sadness rather than rush past it. Some find the puppet work dated.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory1971

A musical fantasy that earns its whimsy through craft and sincerity. Gene Wilder brings the same tender melancholy he gives The Fox here, and like The Little Prince, it's stranger and sadder than memory suggests.

But The film's moral weight—about children's souls and consequence—can feel heavy-handed. Not purely escapist fun.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory poster

Labyrinth1986

Jim Henson's visionary fantasy about a girl negotiating with mysterious powers in a surreal landscape. The practical effects, the emotional stakes, and the refusal to talk down to children echo The Little Prince's register.

But The plot meanders; the film cares more about mood and design than conventional story momentum. Some scenes drag.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Little Prince

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The King and I1956

Both are musicals about relationships that transcend worlds, told with lush production design and a core of quiet sadness. Both believe in the transformative power of genuine attention to another person.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical about two lonely people learning from each other across an unbridgeable divide. Like The Little Prince, it's a story about connection and difference told through song and spectacle, with real emotional intelligence beneath the production values.

But The colonial politics are deeply problematic by modern standards; the film doesn't interrogate them. Nearly three hours long. The theatrical staging can feel static.

The Secret of NIMH1982

An animated film of genuine depth: a mother's love, obligation, sacrifice. It has The Little Prince's lyrical sadness and its willingness to let animation carry complex feeling rather than just charm.

But No musical numbers; it's quieter and more austere than you might expect. The climax relies on animation techniques that feel dated now.

Bridge to Terabithia2007

Two children build an imaginary kingdom to escape grief. It shares The Little Prince's central insight: that fantasy is how we process loss, and that growing up means learning to carry both worlds at once.

But The emotional beats are deliberate and slow. If you're impatient for plot, the quiet passages will frustrate you.

The Dark Crystal1982

Henson and Froud's practical-effects masterpiece: a quest through a genuinely alien world, told without irony or condescension. Visually otherworldly in ways that match The Little Prince's dreamscape.

But The creature design is unsettling rather than cuddly; it can feel cold. Very slow-burn. Some puppet work is hypnotic rather than charming.

Spirited Away2001

Miyazaki's masterpiece: a girl navigates a spirit world where beauty and terror coexist. Like The Little Prince, it's about learning what matters through encounters with the strange, rendered in gorgeous, meticulous detail.

But It's long and digressive; plot takes a backseat to atmosphere and image. Some find the pacing glacial.

The Last Unicorn1982

An animated quest through a dying world, searching for beauty and meaning. The voice cast includes Jeff Bridges; the songs haunt. It has The Little Prince's elegy for vanishing wonder.

But The animation is deliberately stylized and flat in places. The story is melancholic to the point of hopelessness for some viewers.

Charlotte's Web1973

A gentle, faithful adaptation of White's novel about friendship and mortality. The animation has period charm; the emotional core—about saying goodbye—resonates with The Little Prince's farewell.

But Very slow and very earnest. If you need momentum or humor, you'll find this saccharine. The animation can feel primitive.

Wings of Desire1987

Both films are fundamentally about perspective and farewell—seeing the world through an outsider's eyes, then letting go. Both move at the speed of longing rather than action.

Wim Wenders' philosophical elegy about an angel watching Berlin from above, contemplating what it means to be alive, to suffer, to love. Like The Little Prince, it's meditative and strange, concerned with how we see each other and what we leave behind.

But Glacially paced; it's about mood and philosophy rather than plot. Black and white sequences alternate with color. You need patience and emotional openness.

Koyaanisqatsi1983

Both are philosophical works more interested in reflection than plot. Both insist that seeing truly—really looking at the world—is its own reward. Both trust the audience to find meaning in strangeness.

Ron Fricke's experimental documentary: no dialogue, only Philip Glass's hypnotic score and time-lapse cinematography of Earth's complexity and contradiction. Abstract and meditative, it captures what The Little Prince attempts—wonder at existence itself, the strange beauty of seeing clearly.

But There is no narrative, no characters, no conventional "point." It's pure cinema and music. Some find it pretentious or incomprehensibly slow. Not a story; an experience.