The Prophet

Honoring Gibran’s Legacy: Bringing “The Prophet” to The Big Screen

Experiences

Media

Collaborators

Hanson Inc.

“The Prophet”, a book of 26 prose poetry fables written by Lebanese-American author Kahlil Gibran, has compelled readers all around the world since its publication in 1923. With a philosophical view on everyday topics such as work, food, and love, Gibran’s work impacted the minds of many, including some of the founders and artists at LF Studios.

Project Overview

With a mission to share the importance of Gibran’s work with the next generation, we teamed up with director Roger Allers (The Beauty and The Beast, The Lion King), Salma Hayek (Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), and diverse directors to bring Gibran’s book to life with an animated adaptation for all ages – “The Prophet” (2014).

Design Approach

Supervised by Allers, a group of 8 directors from all around the world each took a poem from “The Prophet” and began production with award-winning animation crews in their home countries.

Driven by passion for Gibran’s work, our simultaneous micro-productions allowed for producers and Allers to collaborate with each other constantly to ensure the entire story was staying true to the intent of the source material. With this unexpected approach, we were able to wrap up production in 18 months – something almost unheard of for an animated film of this complexity.

What We Built

With Roger Allers writing the screenplay and directing the production, the film portrayed the needless persecution of a well-known philosopher and activist, Mustafa, through the eyes of a child, Almitra. Centering the story around Mustafa and Almitra, their 3D animated overarching storyline connected the prose poems, or animated vignettes, as they are portrayed in the film. Each vignette varied in animation style, inspired by the poem chosen and each director’s home country, from Poland, to the United Arab Emirates, and beyond.

Our Breakthrough

At LF Studios, our projects are driven by dedication to source material and a goal to create more accessible experiences for everyone. This project was unique in that “The Prophet” (2014) was truly a “passion project” for everyone involved.

From securing the rights to Gibran’s work in his home village in Lebanon to recording the voices of Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List, Taken) and Salma Hayek, everyone who worked on this project was profoundly touched by Gibran’s work. Making his poems more accessible to the world was the opportunity of a lifetime.