Here’s the official USA release trailer for Salma Hayek’s adaptation of Khalil Gibran’s "The Prophet" – an animated feature for the big screen, co-produced with Doha Film Institute and Participant Media.
Each of the chapters in the literary work was directed by a different filmmaker, including: Animation director Roger Allers ("The Lion King"), in charge of the through-line narrative, while individual chapters were handled by filmmakers like Tomm Moore ("The Secret Of Kells"), Joan Gratz ("Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase"), Bill Plympton ("Guard Dog and Your Face"), Nina Paley ("Sita Sings The Blues"), Joann Sfar ("The Rabbi’s Cat"), Paul and Gaetan Brizzi ("Fantasia 2000"), Michal Socha ("Chick") and Mohammed Harib ("Freej").
Voicing characters within each chapter are Quvenzhané Wallis, who I’m sure needs no intro around here, as Priestess Almitra, as well as Liam Neeson, John Krasinski, Frank Langella, Alfred Molina, and Salma Hayek herself, who all lend their voices to the animated feature.
Told from a child’s POV, and a passion project for Hayek, Gibran’s original work is one of the best-selling books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies since its original publication in 1923. It contains 26 poetry essays, divided into chapters, dealing with love, marriage, children, joy and sorrow, crime and punishment, freedom, friendship, good and evil, prayer, religion and death, amongst others.
"The Prophet" debuted to positive reviews at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, but Hayek had difficulty attracting a distributor, and continued to travel with the film, screening it at film festivals around the world to raise awareness for it, and also hoping for a distributor pick-up. GKids – who saw success with 2 Academy Award nominations for animated feature films, "The Tale of The Princess Kaguya" and "Song of the Sea" – eventually stepped up, and picked up "Prophet" for a limited theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles, starting on August 7, 2015, which will be followed by a nationwide roll-out afterward.
Watch the newly-released USA trailer for "The Prophet" animated feature film below:
