'The Little Prince' film release mysteriously delayed

It's strange times for The Little Prince.

The animated version of the literary classic will not be released in theaters next Friday, according to a surprising and mysterious statement from the film's director.

The Little Prince director Mark Osborne announced on Twitter Saturday, less than a week before the planned major release with Paramount Pictures, that the critically-praised CG and stop-motion film had been delayed for unspecified reasons and for an unclear time.

Further, when the film does come out, it will no longer be with Paramount.

"Many thanks to everyone for the outpouring of love and support in these strange times. As it turns out, the much anticipated U.S. release of this special and unique film will have to be anticipated just a little bit more," Osborne tweeted. "All I can say is #thelittleprince will in fact be released by another distributor later this year."

The film version of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's 1943 classic premiered to rave reviews at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It features the voices of Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, and Benicio Del Toro.

Last month, The Little Prince was awarded France’s Cesar Award for best animated film. Variety called the film a "respectful, lovingly re-imagined" version of the cherished book.

While waiting for news of the film's new U.S. distributor, Osborne urged disappointed fans to head to Canada, where The Little Prince will open as planned next weekend.