Snow Prince was directed by Joji Matsuoka, whose previous works include the films Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007) and Sayonara, Kuro (2003) [REF].
The film was inspired by the 1872 English novel A Dog of Flanders, written by Marie Louise de la Ramée,[REF] and by the film Small Love Melody,[REF] both of which were popular with Japanese audiences and well known in Japan [REF].