May 12th, 2021 
W.R. Miller 
This is the story of a leader of an expedition, its sole survivor, who washes ashore on an unknown land and discovers a civilization of talking apes. He is nursed back to health by a pair of compassionate scientists. They wish to show him as an example that there is intelligent life outside their country. But the authorities are offended by his existence. They wish to slay him, so he flees to a forbidden zone.
Is this Planet of the Apes, the Franklin J. Schaffner film? No. Is it La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle, the novel which inspired the film? No. But it is French. This is The Prince’s Voyage (Le Voyage du Prince, 2019), written by Jean-François Laguionie and Anik Le Ray, directed by Laguionie and Xavier Picard , and based on Laguionie’s earlier work, A Monkey’s Tale (Le Château des singes, 1999).
The film’s hero is an ape himself, Prince Laurent, who crosses an ice flow with some soldiers. The ice breaks apart; the troops drown. Laurent survives and is treated by the native scientists. He slowly learns their language from their son, a young inquisitive chimp named Tom. The researchers are astonished, and delighted, that there are other simian civilizations on the planet. The film, in a leisurely pace, follows Laurent as he adjusts to cultural shock in this strange land. The film is not as action-packed as Planet of the Apes, rather, it’s more of an intellectual foray examining the themes of diversity, tolerance, and the meaning of civilization itself.
The filmmakers seem to use CG-based models with cel shading to achieve a hand-drawn appearance. The main characters move fluidly, their designs rock-solid, consistently “on model” with nuanced expressions. Christophe Héral’s score evokes a classical orchestral quality.
The Prince’s Voyage is a co-production of Blue Spirit Productions (My Life as a Zucchini) and Mélusine Productions (Wolfwalkers), nominated Best Animated Feature at the 2019 Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, and receiving critical acclaim at the 2019 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, 2019 Chicago International Film Festival, 2020 New York International Children’s Film Festival, and 2020 Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Shout! Factory has acquired the North American distribution rights, releasing the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack on May 18, 2021. The 77-minute film is presented in its original French language with English subtitles. Bonus material features an interview with the co-directors, Jean-François Laguionie and Xavier Picard, and a study of the ice flow sequence. The Prince’s Voyage is unrated, but noted to be suitable for ages 7 and up.
Special thanks to Tom Chen, Vice President, Publicity, Shout! Studios.
He has just completed Batman: The Animated Interviews, a five-volume work featuring the executives, producers, directors, writers, actors, designers, storyboard artists and composers involved with the making of Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs. BearManor Media is the publisher.
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