‘The Little Prince(ss)’ Director on Femininity, Toxic Masculinity, and Finding Acceptance

Growing up in a conservative town like Hunan, China, Peng was met with discouragement from the neighborhood over their femininity. As a queer and non-binary filmmaker who grew up in China, their focus has always been to address the working class and the intersectionality of the queer community. Peng was fortunate to have supportive parents who love them and always encouraged Peng to be who they were. The same could not be said of the parents of their friends. This is how The Little Prince(ss) was developed.

In The Little Prince(ss), Gabriel, a 7-year-old Chinese kid who loves ballet, becomes friends with Rob, another Chinese kid from school. Rob’s dad gets suspicious about Gabriel’s feminine behavior and decides to intervene.

The Nerds of Color guest host Michael Lee got to chat with Peng about the project and their connection to the story. 

Check it out below:

Don’t forget to check out the other amazing shorts from Disney’s Launchpad on Disney+ out now.

For more coverage on Disney’s Launchpad, click here.