Drawing number 1 is an important image in the film. When the pilot was young, he creates this image of a snake eating an elephant that he shows to the adults in his life who only see it as a hat and encourage him to focus on the future as an adult.
Because of the criticism he receives as a child, the pilot grows up to fly and test a new airplane that forces him to land in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The orange hue of the sun whether it is rising or setting is a constant mood that is seen throughout the film.
After the initial shock of the emergency landing, the pilot works on fixing his plane but is interrupted by a strange little boy who asks him to draw a sheep. After three different drawings of sheep that were too old, too sickly, and not a sheep at all, the pilot creates a sheep within a box that is exactly what the little prince needed.
The little prince asks questions about the sheep inside the box to insure that it will not eat the prince beloved rose that he describes as being fragile and helpless with only its thrown to protect it. The pilot does not understand or care to listen about the rose that the little prince is obsessed with which causes the prince to be upset and run away.
The prince comes back to the pilot and explains that he will tell the pilot about his planet and journey to earth if he agrees to draw some other accessories for his sheep to protect his rose. The imagery and colors here are playful in depicting space and his planet.
The price explains his journey by saying that even though he loved her very much he did not understand why he felt the way he did which lead him to believe that he doesn’t understand anything at all so he goes to different planets find the answers to his questions. He visits a king, a businessman, a historian, and a general all while traveling with the help of birds.
While on earth the prince walks throughout the desert and encounters a snake who promises him that he can take the prince farther than birds can ever carry him. It only the snake that is adorned in a dark black colored costume.
Past the snake, the prince comes to a rose garden which makes him frustrated and upset that maybe his rose is nothing but any other rose. It isn’t until he meets the fox that he understands that what he cares for is what makes his rose, not like any other rose. Before leaving the fox gives the little prince his simple secret.
As the pilot lets closer to fixing his plane, the little prince misses his rose and wants to be able to go back to his home just like the pilot. To do so the little prince visits the snake again to ask to be bitten and the pilot could not make it in time to save him.
As night falls, the prince tells the pilot not to be sad because he will always be up in the sky as a star and even though the pilot won't know what star he is, all the stars will become memories of the little prince's laugh. The next day the little prince’s body disappears and the pilot returns home.
This film adaptation of a French children’s fable tells the story of a pilot who uncovers the history of a little prince he befriends. Stranded in the Sahara desert, throughout this musical adventure, the prince explains his journey through the universe in pursuit to understand life and what it means to love. It isn’t until the prince comes to earth does he learn the secret thanks to the help of a slithering snake and a rambunctious fox. All that he has learned is shared with the pilot which helps him see that he was lost way before his time in the desert.
The tone changes as the days go by in the film. The interaction and adventure between the little prince and the pilot to take place during the day which leaves the storytelling for when the sun sets into the night sky that is illuminated by the moon and the stars. The color scheme is consistently cheerful, playful, and high saturation which helps with build the contrast between the plain desert sand or the night sky. The colors aren’t the only thing that help keep the film vibrant. There is also a contrast between the voice of the pilot-narrator and the musical performance of all characters that help move the story along.
5 words: frustration, acceptance, longing, adventure, energetic
Thesis: Stranded in the desert, the pilot and the little prince build a friendship that ultimately teaches the pilot about himself and the secret to life.
First attempt of concept
Exploration_3 from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.
Possible transitions
The sequence starts with a close view of the beginning of the charcoal drawing with the first text unfolding as the image unfolds.
The camera will focus on different elements of the drawing with the text moving along the image for an organic, flowing feel.
Depending on the image, some elements can "come alive" like the eye for the elephant can blink as the text moves over the forehead of the elephant.
The image will come to an end then move to the transition for the next image to start.
The transition will be the crumpling of the image then uncrumple to start the next image
The first image is drawing number 1 from the movie, second, a rose, then a bird, fox whiskers, tree with a hanging snake, then the final image will be stars that begin to light up the background to end with the title of the movie.