Anime - The Adventures of the Little Prince

 

The Adventures of the Little Prince is a Japanese Anime series from 1978 based on the book by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It aired in the US on Nickelodeon and in Canada on TVOntairo in 1985. The English dubbed version was only 26 of the 39 original Japanese episodes. The plot/storyline was also changed for the English version. It seems both the Japanese and English version have taken some liberties from the original story.

In the book the Little Prince leaves his small planet in search of friendship. He travels to several planets then eventually arrives on Earth. He befriends a fox then a pilot, who is really Antoine himself. The Little Prince learns "One only sees clearly with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." The book has somewhat of a sad ending, but is still considered a masterpiece by many. 

I would say both the Japanese and English versions are geared towards children and maintain a wholesome storyline. What has always stood out to me is the illustrations. The original book from 1943 was illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The anime series was illustrated by Knack Productions and did a superb job paying homage to Antoine's artwork. 

The full 39 episodes of the Japanese series can now be watched with English dub on Crunchyroll. There is a 3D adaptation available on YouTube and a 2D adaptation on Netflix. For a complete list of adaptations check out this Wikipedia article.