U.S. fans of Antoine Saint-Exupery’s classic French novella The Little Prince can finally look forward to watching the animated film adaptation. Netflix dropped a new trailer for the movie today and announced that it will hit select theaters and start streaming stateside on August 5, according to Deadline.
After debuting overseas in 2015, the film was originally planned to open in U.S. theaters in mid-March. However, Paramount Pictures inexplicably dropped the film from its schedule with just days’ notice. That wasn’t the end of it, though: Netflix snatched up The Little Prince shortly thereafter.
Netflix tweeted out the trailer today, which previews the nostalgic story to come.
All grown-ups were once children … but only a few of them remember it. The Little Prince comes to Netflix on 8/5.https://t.co/NyFgg1R92i
— Netflix US (@netflix) May 26, 2016
Fans of the novel will be quick to note that the film doesn’t follow the familiar narrative exactly. Instead, elements of Saint-Exupery’s beloved work are tied into an original story, which centers on a little girl (voiced by Mackenzie Foy) whose mother is trying to prepare her for life as an adult. She finds a champion in her eccentric neighbor, The Aviator, though. He shows her “an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of the Little Prince,” according to Netflix.
Saying goodbye to childhood is a clear and poignant theme in the film, based on the trailer.
“I’m not so sure I want to grow up anymore,” the little girl says at one point. Luckily, she has The Aviator to impart wisdom to her, and he highlights the importance of remembering being a child.
The film’s voice cast features multiple notable actors, including Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, and Ricky Gervais. Mark Osbourne — co-director of Kung Fu Panda — helmed the film.
The Little Prince premieres in the U.S. on August 5.
