The animated feature The Little Prince was originally set to open this past weekend courtesy of Paramount Pictures. In an unexpected turn of events, Mark Osborne’s computer animation/stop motion hybrid film was dropped from the distributor a mere week away from its expected release date. It appears that Netflix has come to the rescue of the César Award winning adaptation of the 1943 book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The streaming service has picked up The Little Prince and will make the film available at some point later this year. It’s still unclear as to why Paramount backed out in the first place. The film – which features the voice talent of Marion Cotillard, Jeff Bridges, James Franco, Rachel MacAdams and Paul Rudd – made its world premiere out of competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and has since become both a critical and commercial success around the world. On top of that, Osborne is a respected animated filmmaker who received an Oscar nomination for helming DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda.
Netflix has yet to confirm a date in which The Little Prince will be available for streaming and if there’s any further plans for a coinciding theatrical run in the United States.