The Insensitive Princess

The Insensitive Princess is a 1983 French animated television series written and directed by Michel Ocelot. The animation is a combination of cel and cutout animation while the elaborate architectural style of the production design has been said to be reminiscent, though visual association, of Charles Perrault and Jean de La Fontaine's fairy tales; like Ocelot's Les Trois Inventeurs before it and several episodes of the later Ciné si it takes place in a literary fairy tale-like fantasy setting, specifically a palatial theater, which mixes the ornate styles of decoration and dress of the upper-classes of both the time of the Ancien Régime and the belle époque and includes such fanciful technology as a baroque-styled submarine, elements of outright fantasy such as dragons and such anachronisms as a reference to motorcycles. It won first prize in its category at the 3rd Bourg-en-Bresse Animation Festival for Youth and the audience prize at the 6th Odense Film Festival.

Directed by Michel Ocelot, The Insensitive Princess leans on a strong ensemble — Joël Péju, Yves Arcanel, Karin Maire — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about animation titles of 1983.