Snow Prince (2009): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2009, Snow Prince is a drama film directed by Joji Matsuoka, running about 116 minutes.

What it’s about. 10-year-old Sota lives with his grandfather and a dog named Chibi in a small snowy village. They live in such a poverty that Sota cannot even afford to go to school, but however hard the situation is, Sota never holds a bad feeling against anyone around and keeps his dream alive to become a painter. He has been friends with Sayo, a girl brought up in a wealthy family, ever since they were little despite the difference of their family position, which Sayo’s father has uneasy feelings against. In spite of the difficulties he faces, Sota manages to complete a piece of painting which he wishes to give Sayo. He and Chibi goes down a snowy night path to Sayo’s house to find that her father’s storage is on fire... What waits for Sota and Chibi gently reminds that genuine happiness always exists in your heart.

Who’s in it. Snow Prince stars Shintaro Morimoto as Souta Harada, Marino Kuwajima as Sayo Arima, Tadanobu Asano and Teruyuki Kagawa as Masamitsu Arima, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.6/10, Snow Prince has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Snow Prince page.

If you liked it. Fans of Snow Prince tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.