The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde is a beautifully written story. I rarely see this animation get an airing on the box, so here ya go. Based on Oscar Wilde’s short story ‘The Happy Prince’, first published in 1888. Part social commentary, part fairy tale, The Happy Prince is a beautiful, bittersweet tale that is as significant today as it ever was. With the abject poverty and social divide of Victorian London as it’s backdrop, it is a classic story of love, selflessness and compassion which will appeal to an audience of all ages.
Some of Wilde’s best works as a moralist are his children’s stories, such as the 1888 book of fairy stories The Happy Prince and Other Tales. In the title story, a prince is transformed into a glittering statue on a pedestal high above a city, where residents look up to him as an example of human perfection. But the prince, we learn, spends his time weeping in compassion for the poverty and suffering he sees below him. Made in 1974 and featuring the voices of British actors Christopher Plummer and Glynis Johns, the animated short film is a faithful rendering of Wilde’s story.
Has me in tears every time…..
