THE LITTLE PRINCE: Sharing the Story | FCC 108

Finding Christ In Cinema

Sharing the story that can give new life to its listeners is an integral part of the Christian faith and is one of the main Christian themes in the Netflix original film THE LITTLE PRINCE. Join us as we discuss this theme and so much more on the Finding Christ in Cinema podcast.

For your convenience you will find each podcast segment at the time referenced below:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction and Previous Episode Recap
• 00:03:17 – Movie Discussion
• 00:26:12 – Christian Themes in THE LITTLE PRINCE
• 01:18:18 – Listener Challenge and Feedback
• 01:25:46 – Well-mannered Frivolity
• 01:30:20 – Lightning Round

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It Is Only With the Heart That One Can See Rightly

In the penultimate (second to last) scene of The Little Prince, we have the climax of the film. It’s the scene in which the controlling idea finally conquers the countering idea and from which the rest of the film falls into place. Mr. Prince and the Little Girl have just landed on the former’s home Asteroid B-612. Almost everything on the asteroid has been consumed by the greedy baobab trees; only the Rose remains seemingly unchanged because of the glass encasement.

But upon closer inspection – when the glass encasement is lifted – the Rose crumbles into dust. This image causes the Little Girl to face the fact that the Aviator’s life is coming to an end as well, and that he, too, will fade away into dust. She doesn’t like this hard truth (and who does), and she further fears that she will forget the Aviator altogether.

Just as she kneels down to cry, though, Mr. Prince offers his hand and says, “Don’t cry.” She takes his hand, opens her eyes, and then sees that Mr. Prince has transformed into the Little Prince. He then reminds her of something she heard from Aviator long ago (who heard it from the Little Prince): “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.” As he says this, the form of the Rose can be seen in the clouds. The Little Girl now understands that even if the Aviator dies, he will still be with her.

As was said before, the Little Girl had heard the Little Prince’s saying before, but it isn’t until now that she truly believes it. One of the many beautiful things about this film is that it sets up the same themes in different situations. For example, the Rose in the glass is like the stars in the jar is like the Little Girl in her home is like the Aviator in his frail form. Conversely, a baobab tree on Asteroid B-612 is like the Businessman is like the Mother. This film repeats and repeats these themes so as to give the audience every chance to grasp the main idea.

Likewise, how often can we hear something from a teacher or fellow believer and it not stick? How many times can we read something in Scripture before it finally clicks? No matter how many times we are presented with something in Scripture, it may not take root until several days or maybe even years have gone by. But the fact remains: that God’s commandments do give us life no matter what the circumstance.

Let’s keep that in mind as we go out to spread His Kingdom – that sometimes, things have to be repeated many times and in many ways before they can take root. Thankfully, we have the patience of God Himself via the Holy Spirit…right?…so it shouldn’t be a problem.

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Growing Up Isn’t the Problem…Forgetting Is

Christian wordsmith extraordinaire C.S. Lewis once said, “Men do not long continue to think what they have forgotten how to say.” It’s a proverb poignant to The Little Prince because the countering theme to the whole film is that anyone can make a “wonderful grown-up” when they forget all about being a child. It’s also poignant to us as Christians and as disciple-makers because the countering theme to our mission is the notion that we can think we can spread the kingdom of God when we’ve forgotten how to trust and obey God like children.

The advent of grown-ups who have forgotten how to be children. The Mother, the Businessman, the Schoolmaster, and even Mr. Prince himself have all forgotten the joy of childhood and the innocence that comes along with it because none of them are interested in the Aviator’s story. They may have believed it once, but they don’t now, and they no longer share that story so they no longer think about.

Likewise, how can we think the story of God’s grace and mercy for us when we forget how to tell others about it? It’s practically cyclical: we won’t think about it unless we share it, and we won’t share it unless we think about it. Remembering God’s kingdom like a child is an integral part of spreading that kingdom on earth, and part of being childlike means sharing as we’ve been told to.

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Key Texts

Psalm 119:93 NLT

I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life.

Romans 10:14 NLT

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

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Finding Christ In Cinema is the show where we discover Christian themes in movies past and present. Join us and together we’ll dig deeper into the silver-screen classics of yesteryear as well as the box-office hits of today. Brought to you by the Great Commission Transmission Network. View the complete show notes – including links to articles discussed – by clicking here.

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