red balloon movie review

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The red balloon, common sense media reviewers.

Imaginative story told entirely through vivid visuals.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Families can talk about their interpretations of t

Although it's a beautiful story about the bond

Pascal is a kind little boy who demonstrates a gre

Some bullying. A gang of older kids chases a boy a

Parents need to know that The Red Balloon is an enchanting short film about a red balloon that befriends a little French boy is more than a joy to watch; it's a provocative exercise in creative interpretation that deserves a place of honor on any Classics shelf. Younger kids will enjoy it purely on a…

Educational Value

Families can talk about their interpretations of the film, especially regarding what the balloon might represent.

Positive Messages

Although it's a beautiful story about the bond that develops between a young boy and a magical red balloon, there isn't much in the way of a directly positive message.

Positive Role Models

Pascal is a kind little boy who demonstrates a great deal of perseverance as he forms a bond with a magical red balloon.

Violence & Scariness

Some bullying. A gang of older kids chases a boy around Paris, determined to steal and destroy his balloon.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Red Balloon is an enchanting short film about a red balloon that befriends a little French boy is more than a joy to watch; it's a provocative exercise in creative interpretation that deserves a place of honor on any Classics shelf. Younger kids will enjoy it purely on a surface level as an engaging story about a boy and his balloon. Older kids will be able to read more into it and offer some mind-blowing insights. There is some tame bullying: A gang of older kids chases a boy around Paris, determined to steal and destroy his balloon. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (9)
• Kids say (5)

Based on 9 parent reviews

An incredible movie, no words, just a compelling story. I saw this movie often in elementary school growing up in the 60's. My question from the first time I saw this movie, up until today is: How did they get him down after the balloons carried him away? He was pretty high up there

What's the story.

THE RED BALLOON is an allegorical story of a boy and his red balloon has only a few background words of dialogue. The parable unfolds in carefully plotted images and beguiling actions that give the balloon more personality than some A-list actors. The balloon ducks into alleys, rises suddenly to escape grabbing hands, and pauses in front of a mirror to admire itself. It's as alive as the boy is.

Here's the story: A young boy (Pascal Lamorisse) untangles a bright red balloon from a lamppost and tries to give it away, but the balloon returns to him. It hovers outside his window. It follows him to school where, dodging playfully out of reach, it escapes the groping hands of the other children and gets the boy in trouble. A gang of older boys chases the boy down, captures the balloon, and takes it to an abandoned place where they torment it with rocks and slingshots. While the boy tries to rescue it, the balloon grows weary-looking, settles to the ground, and is stomped on, signaling a peculiar call to arms.

Is It Any Good?

In a world where far too much is overemphasized or explained nearly to death, a film such as The Red Balloon is a rare and invigorating pleasure. Winner of an Academy Award in 1956 for Best Original Screenplay, as well as the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prize and, most impressively, the 1968 Best Film of the Decade Educational Film Award, THE RED BALLOON is a tender and charming film all ages can benefit from seeing and talking about. Ask a dozen children who've seen this film what the balloon represents, and you might get a dozen answers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the fact that, as with White Mane (1952), writer/director Albert Lamorisse's earlier short film, a statement is being made in The Red Balloon about the darker side of human nature. What do your kids think that statement is about? Greed? Racism? Fear of the unknown? Enjoy the freedom of drawing your own conclusions.

How is color used throughout the movie? How is color used in other movies?

This is considered by many to be a "classic" short film. What aspects of this film do you think make it a classic?

How does the boy demonstrate perseverance in The Red Balloon ? Why is this an important character strength ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 11, 1957
• On DVD or streaming : March 27, 1996
• Cast : Georges Sellier , Pascal Lamorisse , Paul Perey
• Director : Albert Lamorisse
• Studio : Warner Independent
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures
• Character Strengths : Perseverance
• Run time : 34 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : April 24, 2024

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Essaying the pop culture that matters since 1999

The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge)

Compared to the structural excesses of modern Hollywood films, The Red Balloon ( Le Ballon Rouge ) feels truly overwhelming because of its visual and narrative minimalism. And then again, perhaps such simplicity is what grants this unforgettable French film its awesome cinematic power.

In this regard, it is really surprising how, in spite of its short running time of less than 35 minutes, The Red Balloon accomplishes the satisfactory telling of an emotional story of friendship, savagery, and salvation. Furthermore, writer and director Albert Lamorisse infused his imaginative film with a true sense of wonder and magic. If you think about it, considering that Lamorisse dedicated most of his career to the making of documentaries, the success of The Red Balloon was a big accomplishment.

In The Red Balloon , Pascal, the five-year-old son of Lamorisse, plays a young Parisian boy who, on his way to school encounters. tied to a lamp post, a unique and mysterious new friend: the titular red balloon. Pascal takes the balloon with him and they quickly develop a powerful bond and become best friends. Acting on an almost supernatural manner, Pascal is able to interact with the balloon, and in a way, they even appear to communicate with each other. As the film showcases multiple times, they play and tease each other as kids often do.

However, Lamorisse showcases the uncanny behavior of the balloon in a very subtle way. That is, Lamorisse avoids committing himself and the viewer to a supernatural explanation. Instead, we are left to wonder if the balloon is indeed alive or if the wind is just tricking our perception by moving the balloon in a unique and convenient way. As a consequence, the considerable anthropomorphism granted to the balloon is in great part due to our own expectations and sense of imagination, which are being cleverly manipulated by the visual and narrative structure of The Red Balloon .

In this regard it is really surprising the emotional depth that we associate with the balloon. And truth be told, one is left to wonder if The Red Balloon served as an inspiration to Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000), in the way it presented an unanimated soccer ball as a genuine character, “Wilson”, in the film. Furthermore, few would disagree that the red balloon appears to show superior histrionic abilities than many actors currently working in Hollywood. At the very least, this floating helium balloon could very well teach a thing or two to Hayden Christensen.

In any event, The Red Balloon is a moving story about unconditional friendship and love. However, in spite of his immense happiness, Pascal soon discovers that nearly everybody appears to be determined to separate him from his beloved friend. Just consider: the ticket collector does not allow Pascal to board the bus with the balloon, the church and school officials denigrate the bond between Pascal and the balloon, and even his grandmother puts the balloon out the window. Clearly, for some untold reason, all figures of authority oppose the relationship between Pascal and his balloon.

But perhaps more striking is the violent reaction seen in other kids of Pascal’s age, who are bent on destroying the balloon by any means possible. As shown through Lamorisse’s camera lens, these youngsters present an obsessive, irrational, and frantic desire to tear down the balloon. Thus, the final part of The Red Balloon turns into a frenetic and suspenseful chase across the narrow alleys of the picturesque Menilmontant.

Without a doubt, The Red Balloon portrays a strong religious subtext. Indeed, the balloon is presented as a martyr who performs miracles, is tortured and stoned by an irrational mob, and its ultimate sacrifice grants a kind of spiritual salvation to Pascal. Furthermore, the fact that the balloon is originally found tied to a lamp post suggests that it may be an allegory to Christ crucified on the cross. As such, The Red Balloon metaphorically insinuates that, even after two millennia of wars and social turmoil, the sins and immorality of mankind continue to haunt our world.

Similarly, one could also argue that Lamorisse used The Red Balloon as a means to provide social criticism to the complex social and political problems that plagued France during the postwar years. Indeed, let us recall that the Fourth Republic governed France between 1946 and 1958, and even though this period was characterized by huge economic growth, it is also remembered because of the political instability of the country due controversial colonial policies.

During that chaotic period of time, a considerable number of French citizens severely criticized the government’s use of armed forces to maintain the control over territorial colonies such as Algiers and Indochina. Furthermore, the memories of the Nazi occupation of Paris were painfully fresh for many. Therefore, The Red Balloon obviously considers the brutal nature of the human condition. Indeed, this film suggests that irrational violence and aggression are innate to mankind. And in a sense, it questions the way modern society appears to condone and reinforce feelings of xenophobia, alienation, discrimination, and antagonism.

At the time of its original release, The Red Balloon proved to be quite successful among audiences and critics. Indeed, most people who have watched this film remember it quite vividly and with fond memories. The Red Balloon was awarded the 1957 Academy Award for Best Screenplay and the 1958 Golden Palm at the International Cannes Festival.

Unfortunately, in recent years The Red Balloon has not received all the critical and academic attention it deserves – the film was unavailable on home video for many years. Thankfully, Janus Films has released The Red Balloon on DVD. And even though it is not part of their acclaimed and beloved Criterion Collection, it is offered with pristine video and audio quality. While it is regrettable that this DVD presentation does not offer any significant extra features, it remains an essential purchase for all film fans.

The Red Balloon has a short running time and minimal dialogue. The story is quite simple and straightforward, without the structural complexities of modern Hollywood productions. But then again, The Red Balloon is one of the most powerful movies ever made. And even though The Red Balloon is often categorized as a film for children, it is beloved by viewers of all ages. Therefore, as watching movies goes, The Red Balloon shows that emotional depth and sense of imagination go a long way.

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The Red Balloon Reviews

With an ending that is both tragic and sublime, The Red Balloon has been a critical mainstay for decades.

Full Review | Apr 17, 2024

The real star is the balloon itself -- bright bright red, candylike, somehow conveying joy and loneliness and relief and despair.

Full Review | Original Score: A+ | Nov 23, 2022

A magical meditation on the innocence of a child’s imagination meeting the harshness of reality.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 24, 2022

Albert Lamorisse shares a vision of the child’s world that is as fabulous as it is true.

Full Review | Mar 30, 2022

A film that captures the imagination of childhood

Full Review | Nov 11, 2020

An allegorical masterpiece, demonstrating the evils of misunderstandings, fear of the unknown, and the gravitation towards destruction as a default solution.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Aug 23, 2020

The absence of one key scene near the film's end renders the entire thing pablum.

Full Review | Original Score: 68/100 | Jul 13, 2012

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 24, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: A | Sep 7, 2011

Lamorisse's lyrical tale, largeky told through imagery, holds up extremely well, and it's still the only short feature to ever win a major Oscar (original screenplay).

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jul 17, 2011

Imaginative story told entirely through visuals.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 2, 2011

For those of us who don't have childhood memories driving our analysis, it's a passable kids movie that could be so much more.

Full Review | Original Score: 59/100 | May 5, 2009

Enchanting.

Full Review | May 8, 2008

The story of a boy and his toy, The Red Balloon is widely praised for its narrative and visual "purity," but not enough is said about the movie's delightful manipulation.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 26, 2008

The key to its lasting endurance is in its simplicity.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 23, 2008

if you missed it as a child, now is the time to make sure you seek it out and watch it.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 9, 2008

It's the perfect little movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 24, 2007

A cinematic landmark . . . Lamorisse's film floats off, with the breeze of magic-realism, into a feeling of escape and peace.

Full Review | Dec 15, 2007

A beautiful little meditation on childhood, on imagination literally taking flight.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 13, 2007

These are two unique and unforgettable family films -- one an essential part of world cinema, the other an underseen gem -- that a new generation deserves the chance to get acquainted with

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 7, 2007

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Red Balloon

A red balloon with a mind of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris. A red balloon with a mind of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris. A red balloon with a mind of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.

• Albert Lamorisse
• Pascal Lamorisse
• Sabine Lamorisse
• Georges Sellier
• 127 User reviews
• 51 Critic reviews
• 5 wins & 1 nomination total

• Pascal - le petit garçon
• La petite fille au ballon bleu
• Le marchand
• Un locataire
• Le père de Pascal
• La mère de Pascal

• Le jumeau en rouge
• (uncredited)
• L'autre jumeau en rouge
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia With its Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay, the film is (as of 2018) the only short film to win an Academy Award outside of the short film categories.
• Goofs For a brief instant, a wire can be seen attached to the red balloon as the boy waits to cross the street. The wire stands out against the blue coat of the man standing behind him looking on as the boy waits for the intersection to clear.

Pascal - le petit garçon : Could you hold my balloon while I'm in school?

• Crazy credits Avec le concours: Des Enfants De Ménilmontant et Des Ballons De La Région Parisiénne (Translation: With the assistance of: The Children of Ménilmontant and The Balloons of the Paris region.)
• Connections Featured in Paris non stop (1981)

User reviews 127

• Nov 27, 2013
• March 11, 1957 (United States)
• Der rote Ballon
• Ménilmontant, Paris 20, Paris, France
• Films Montsouris
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• Nov 18, 2007

Technical specs

• Runtime 34 minutes

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The red balloon, le ballon rouge.

Directed by Albert Lamorisse

The Academy Award Winning Sensation!

In this deceptively simple, nearly wordless tale, a young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable, yet the world’s harsh realities finally interfere. With its glorious palette and allegorical purity, this Academy Award-winning short film has enchanted young and old for generations.

Pascal Lamorisse Georges Sellier Vladimir Popov Paul Perey Renée Marion Sabine Lamorisse Michel Pezin Renaud David Séchan

Director Director

Albert Lamorisse

Producers Producers

Albert Lamorisse Michel Pezin

Writer Writer

Editor editor.

Pierre Gillette

Cinematography Cinematography

Edmond Séchan

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Edmond Agabra André Fontaine

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Pierre Goupil

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Composer composer.

Maurice Le Roux

Sound Sound

Pierre Vuillemin

Films Montsouris

Releases by Date

03 may 1956, 24 aug 1956, 15 oct 1956, 19 oct 1956, 11 mar 1957, 13 jan 1960, 04 feb 1972, 10 oct 2007, 10 apr 2008, 04 jul 2008, 26 jul 2008, 28 apr 2008, 16 jun 1971, releases by country.

• Theatrical Re-release
• Premiere Cannes Film Festival
• Theatrical U
• Theatrical U Re-release
• Theatrical Restored Version

Netherlands

• Physical AL DVD
• Theatrical NR

34 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by lauren ★★★★ 1

red balloon from IT: who are you? red balloon from the red balloon: i’m you, but stronger and french

Review by Lucy 2

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

never imagined that at 22 years old i'd be crying over fictional ghost balloons but here we are

Review by Aaron ★★★★½ 19

“Fly away, balloon!”

Little Pascal (Pascal Lamorisse) is bullied. By his peers, by his grandmother, by his headmaster. The world, a towering and imposing place, bears down on this wee lad. He needs a friend.

The balloon is abandoned. Tied to a lamppost by some thoughtless passerby. A bright spot against a damp, grey world. It could liberate, giving flight to one’s fancies, if only one would notice. It needs a friend.

Albert Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon is as magical a film as the heart has ever seen. Pascal, walking to school one morning, frees the balloon from its curbside stanchion and finds himself enamored as only a child can be. And the balloon, in return, is grateful and sticks…

Review by CinemaVoid 🏴‍☠️ ★★★★ 2

A group of French kids addicted to helium terrorize a telekinetic boy and his balloon just to get their next fix.

Review by Mary Conti ★★★★★ 35

The December Project: Film #7

Many would have you believe that The Red Balloon is a sweet children's film about a boy and his friend, a red balloon seemingly with a life of its own. But there's something more sinister at work here.

No, The Red Balloon is actually a metaphor for an abusive relationship between a sexually charged young man and his new trophy girlfriend. He first meets her alone on the street. He initially intends to do waste with her, but she proves to be a loyal girlfriend after his mother (who he lives with because he is socially inept) tries to throw her out. Amazed by this demonstration of loyalty, the boy decides to keep the girl…

Review by Timcop ★★★★★ 2

Terrifying sci-fi film about an army of sentient balloons and the psychic child who controls them.

Also, one of the balloons is Jesus.

Review by Ethan Colburn ★★★★½

The Pixar playbook in a nutshell.

How do you make someone care fo an inanimate object? Give it a personality, a motive and make it care for someone. In some ways I find this more impressive than Pixar’s work given the time it came out and the limitations of shooting an inanimate object physically.

This movie captures the magic of childhood so well. I love the innocence of it, part of this comes from the unexplained magic of the balloon. The rules of why it exists or cares for the boy are never explained, so you are just as amazed as he is when it returns back to him.

The special effects also add to the experience. I never once…

Review by Silent J ★★★★★ 3

Who knew that a balloon could show more charm and personality than half of the actors in Hollywood?

Review by nick ★★★★

The Red Balloon feels like a classic fairy tale with a modern touch. Despite a short runtime, it manages to manufacture a simplistic yet emotionally engaging tale on top of a picturesque French setting, thanks to its innovative, Oscar-winning script, and the refreshing performances from the perfect duo of a boy and a red balloon.

The Red Balloon succeeds in jamming different signs of a top-notch storytelling into its succinct 30-minute runtime, from the intimate moments of a resilient friendship, to the typical theme of good versus evil, and to a poignant ending in the most rewarding manner. The technical aspect of the project is quite applaudable, considering the sheer difficulty of injecting emotions and humanity into an inanimate object.…

Review by Holli ★★★★

i will sacrifice my life for this possessed french balloon

Review by Rocky Ibarra ★★★★½ 10

This review may contain spoilers .

Innocence is a red balloon gliding through the bustling streets of Paris. Everyone in the city has it, but not everyone tries to protect it. It was discovered dangling in a light post by a young boy as he walked alone on his way to school, and out of wonder and a need for company, untied the string off the pole and carried it along. He was a freewheeling juvenile and the balloon went wherever he took it. Together in the process, they confronted the irrationalities of life–whether it be the warm, surreal feelings of love that arise from an encounter unbeknownst to them or to endure unjustifiable rejection–but the two shared a reality wherein…

Review by Sam

Love, loss, and helium

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The Red Balloon ">The Classic 1956 Oscar-Winning Children’s Film, The Red Balloon

in Film | June 12th, 2012 13 Comments

The best chil­dren’s sto­ries can be a delight for adults, too. That’s cer­tain­ly the case with Albert Lam­or­is­se’s 1956 short film, The Red Bal­loon . The sto­ry is set in the run-down Ménil­montant neigh­bor­hood of Paris. A lit­tle boy, played by the direc­tor’s son Pas­cal, is walk­ing to school one morn­ing when he dis­cov­ers a red bal­loon tan­gled around a lamp post. He “res­cues” it and takes it to school with him. Along the way, the boy dis­cov­ers that the bal­loon has a mind of its own. It fol­lows him like a stray dog, and togeth­er they face the ter­rors, and tedi­um, of child­hood.

The film, shown above in its entire­ty, earned Lam­or­isse an Acad­e­my Award for Best Orig­i­nal Screen­play and a Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Fes­ti­val, along with near-uni­ver­sal praise from crit­ics. “ The Red Bal­loon is a won­der­ful movie for chil­dren,” says New York Times film crit­ic A.O. Scott in the “Crit­ics’ Picks” video below. “It’s also a unique­ly insight­ful movie about child­hood.” In a 2008 essay, “The Red Bal­loon: Writ­ten on the Wind,” the chil­dren’s author Bri­an Selznick writes of his life-long appre­ci­a­tion for the film:

As a child, I longed for two spe­cif­ic things that I now real­ize Lam­or­is­se’s movie embod­ies: the pres­ence of a lov­ing friend and the knowl­edge that real mag­ic exists in the world. Child­hood, in so many ways, is about learn­ing to nav­i­gate the world around us, to make sense of what seems over­whelm­ing and gigan­tic. Hav­ing a spe­cial com­pan­ion makes that expe­ri­ence more man­age­able and less ter­ri­fy­ing. To kids, the world of grown-ups is often alien and untrans­lat­able, and so mag­ic becomes a lens through which the incom­pre­hen­si­ble uni­verse (as Ein­stein once called it) becomes com­pre­hen­si­ble.

Many Amer­i­cans remem­ber see­ing  The Red Bal­loon  for the first time as a 16mm film pro­ject­ed in ele­men­tary school class­rooms and cafe­te­rias. With the 2008 release of the Cri­te­ri­on Col­lec­tion DVD , many are redis­cov­er­ing the movie–and per­haps over-ana­lyz­ing it–from the per­spec­tive of adult­hood. “An adult watch­ing The Red Bal­loon will not find it dif­fi­cult to see the title char­ac­ter as a sym­bol of spir­i­tu­al­i­ty, friend­ship, love, tran­scen­dence, the tri­umph of good over evil, or any of the count­less oth­er things that a sim­ple, round red bal­loon can rep­re­sent,” writes Selznick. “But per­haps we’re bet­ter off enjoy­ing some things the way a child under­stands them: not as metaphors but as sto­ries. In the end, I think there’s some­thing nice about allow­ing the bal­loon to just be. I guess that’s what you do with good friends–you let them be them­selves.”

by Mike Springer | Permalink | Comments (13) |

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Comments (13), 13 comments so far.

I con­cur with the “As a child”. A spir­i­tu­al way of see­ing one self from with­in and the way we see the world. I remem­ber my sis­ter Eileen after she watch super­woman. Eileen put on red tow­el around her neck, got up on a 6 foot fence and tried to fly. You know the answer to that, Eileen wore a cast on her arm for three months.

i remem­ber watch­ing this in ele­men­try school i am now 53 and recent­ly watched this as an adult it was mov­ing it had a mix­ture of humor and awful­ness (the gang of boys who even­tu­aly kill the baloon) but still a great short film

Could any­body explain this: At about 5:30 the boy leaves the bal­loon to a man for safe keep­ing while the boy is in school, but then he comes out of school WITH the bal­loon. Seemed like a scene was miss­ing…

Noth­ing wrong with adults “over ana­lyz­ing” The Red Bal­loon. That is it’s mag­ic: it grows with you, like a true friend.

the man is the school cus­to­di­an. the boy is already on the school grounds when he hands over the bal­loon. the cus­to­di­an is still on duty when the boy’s school day is over.

the boy went through the same door he came out of with the bal­loon because the first door led to a court­yard where the jan­i­tor was sweep­ing up. from there he went into the school.

I remem­ber read­ing the book as a young child and it always haunt­ed me. Why? In the book, the boy had social prob­lems and in his mind the bal­loon friend­ed him, only to set him up into trust­ing oth­er bal­loons. The boy fell for it and faced cer­tain death from freez­ing in the sky or falling from the sky. As a young child I felt the red bal­loon was evil in dis­guise. This sto­ry has always had a great influ­ence on me about trust­ing peo­ple. All my life the book has been my night­mare.

Let’s hope it does­n’t encour­age any more of those hor­ri­ble bal­loon releas­es.

I saw the Red Bal­loon in 1958 as a child of 7 on the ship tak­ing me to Amer­i­ca. Today I’m 66 and it remains one of my all time favorites.

That’s the impres­sion it can make on child. I rec­om­mend all par­ents see it and con­side show­ing it to their chil­dren.

Some­times the film is avail­able, then it is removed. I’d like to use the film for an online class.

I saw it as a child. It left a last­ing impres­sion on me of the unfair­ness of life. Of human fail­ings of envy, jealosy and hatred to the point of destroy­ing some­thing beau­ti­ful. Its main mes­sage for me now see­ing it again, as a mature adult, is it is not nec­es­sary to under­stand every­thing that can­not be explained. Accept it for what it is and evjoy life its mys­ter­ies and become a free spir­it.

Thanks for your kind infor­ma­tion i love it.

I was the same age as Pas­cal when I first saw the movie. It has had a last­ing effect on me and my cre­ative life. Red Bal­loon and Fer­ris Beuller are my favourite films of all time. I have ded­i­cat­ed my new book of poet­ry to both actor and char­ac­ter.

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Eye For Film >> Movies >> The Red Balloon (1956) Film Review

The Red Balloon

Reviewed by: Caro Ness

This short film won the Oscar for best screenplay, the Prix Louis Delluc for Albert Lamorisse and the Palme D’Or of 1956. Why? Because it is a rare masterpiece. It is a fantastic story, told in the most minimalist way, with very few lines of dialogue, from a child’s perspective.

The lack of any embroidery makes it timeless and yet its very simplicity is its towering achievement because it is an allegory on the power of love and the perseverance and loyalty that forms part of friendship. In 30 minutes we are treated to a story that teaches us more about the resilience of the human spirit and the triumphs it can achieve over hardships and injustices than many films three or four times as long. More than that, it reveals how nature can change in order to make the seemingly impossible happen. This is a true testament to all that is good.

The performance of the director’s six-year old son, Pascal Lamorisse, who, with the red balloon, dominates the film, is nothing short of miraculous. Touching, true, endearing, his performance is crucial to the success of the film, and boy does he deliver.

The essence of the story is that this little boy, like most of us, is searching for something meaningful in a life that is mundane and into it comes something beautiful and rare, the red balloon, which shows him unswerving loyalty and devotion. The balloon brings him great joy and simple delight as he develops a relationship with it. The adults have little time for the balloon, but the other children all want to possess it. When they cannot do so, they choose to destroy it. However, the balloon does not allow the boy to be downcast.

The cinematography is great – the special effects with the balloon are captivating (particularly given that it was filmed in 1956) and the wonderful camerawork and editing really bring the alleyways of Paris to life. It is sad that Belleville, where it was filmed, was razed to the ground in the late 1960s but wonderful that we have this visual record of Paris past. The music also makes a significant contribution to the film’s success. The gentle melody that accompanies the balloon somehow allows us to participate in the magic of believing that a balloon, trailing a bit of string, can display devotion, intelligence, wit and loyalty and the ability to resurrect itself.

On whatever level you view this film, it is beautiful in its simplicity and sincerity. It is a magical film that remains with you long after you watch it. Indeed, it is not something you will easily forget for the rest of your life. This is a huge compliment to pay a short film that has, until now, unjustly slipped into oblivion. To see it resurrected on DVDs alongside White Mane and The Flight Of The Red Balloon is an enormous pleasure and one it richly deserves. This film should be required viewing.

Director: Albert Lamorisse

Writer: Albert Lamorisse

Starring: Pascal Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, Vladimir Popov, Paul Perey, René Marion, Sabine Lamorisse, Michel Pezin, Renaud, David Séchan

Runtime: 34 minutes

Country: France

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Movie Review | 'Flight of the Red Balloon'

Another Balloon Over Paris, With Lives Adrift Below

By Manohla Dargis

• April 4, 2008

If the luscious red orb that sails through “Flight of the Red Balloon” like an airborne cherry looks as if it flew in from another movie, in some ways it did. The film, the latest wonderment from the Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien, takes as one of its inspirations Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic, “The Red Balloon,” about a young boy and the talismanic sphere that follows him through the gray streets of Paris like a dog, a lover, a ghost — as much a reminder of the precariousness of life as an emblem of innocence.

There is a young boy in this red balloon film too, Simon (Simon Iteanu), a moppet with sandy hair and serious eyes who lives with his mother, Suzanne (Juliette Binoche), in a tiny bourgeois-bohemian Parisian flat bursting with books and bric-a-brac. When the story opens, Simon is trying to coax the balloon into his grasp, his body straining upward as he clambers on the railing of a Métro stop at the Place de la Bastille, the site of the uprising that helped ignite the Revolution of 1789. Despite Simon’s pleading, the balloon floats away and sails past the quarter’s totemic July Column, a pillar that commemorates the Revolution of 1830 and is crowned with a golden winged male figure called the Spirit of Liberty.

The balloon will soon hover closer to the ground, as will the film, which centers on a handful of characters joined together in love and no small amount of confusion, much of it churned up by Suzanne. One of the most vibrantly alive and true characters in Ms. Binoche’s career, a résumé inundated with melodramatic tears, Suzanne invades the film like a hurricane, a riot of colors, textures, patterns and words. She’s terminally distracted and buzzing with fury (at her estranged lover, at her neighbor), one of those bruised souls for whom every slight contains the threat of a larger drama. A professional puppeteer, she seems most at peace only when she’s giving grave, gravelly voice to one of her creations.

The story takes off shortly after the balloon does, when Simon is tethered to another elusive wanderer, Song (Song Fang), a Chinese national hired to be his sitter.

A former film student, Song turns out to be making a video about red balloons, which suggests that Mr. Lamorisse’s 1956 movie is beloved not only by Western children. (At one point you see snippets of her video — Simon puts in a guest appearance — which makes it seem as if Song had been scouting locations for the very film you’re watching.) Like the puppet show Suzanne performs, about a character who tries to boil the ocean to retrieve his beloved, the video speaks to something about the interior life of the character, giving shape to feeling.

The puppet play and the video are in a sense shadows of Mr. Hou’s film, which itself has a diaphanous, hypnotically ethereal quality. Part of this is due to Mr. Hou’s approach to narrative, which replaces the rigid linearity of the three-act model with complex, impressionistic forms; isolated gestures; fugitive moments; saturated moods; and visual harmony.

Yet while his stories may feel loose, elliptical (earlier titles include his 1998 masterpiece, “Flowers of Shanghai”), he is extraordinarily rigorous. In “Flight of the Red Balloon” he makes particularly expressive use of glass, as when Simon stares out a window and his gaze is met by his own reflection, a doubling that echoes the scene before, when the red balloon pauses next to its painted twinned image floating on a mural.

Melancholy clings to Simon, Suzanne and Song as it does to many of Mr. Hou’s characters. Much like the red balloon, which bops into periodic view and hovers outside the apartment window like a prowler (or an angel), mother and child appear especially adrift. They’re both in the world and yet somehow apart, as if lost in a mutual dream.

This otherworldly sense is amplified by two flashbacks — one motivated by Simon, the other by Suzanne — involving the family’s other child, Louise (Louise Margolin), a teenager who lives in Brussels, where she cares for her maternal grandfather, a puppeteer like Suzanne. Seen only in flashback and in images from childhood, Louise is the resident ghost, a reminder of the time when the family was together.

That may sound heavy, yet there’s a lightness of touch here that keeps the worst at bay. Mr. Hou’s films can be crushingly sad; as with Bresson and Ozu, his restraint only deepens the emotional power of his work. But whether because of that red balloon — which alternately invokes the spirit of liberty and its elusiveness — or because he was practicing his art in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Mr. Hou has made a film that is, to borrow a line from one of his characters, “a bit happy and a bit sad.” These words are spoken by a student who, with Simon and a cluster of others, is in the Musée d’Orsay with a teacher discussing Félix Vallotton’s 1899 painting of a child chasing a red ball, “Le Ballon.”

Vallotton was associated with a group of Post-Impressionist artists, including Maurice Denis, who took their inspiration from Gauguin and called themselves the Nabis. The Nabis created vividly colored, abstracted images of everyday life that I think Mr. Hou must find appealing.

Embracing his status as a prophet of the modern, Denis wrote: “Remember that a painting — before being a war horse, a nude woman or some anecdote or other — is essentially a flat surface covered with colors arranged in a certain order.” This seems worth mentioning because while it’s easy enough to speak of Mr. Hou’s themes — the dissolution of the family, among others — this film is also a flat surface of a different type covered with colors arranged in a certain order. (Plus light!)

In the end what elevates Mr. Hou’s films to the sublime — and this one comes close at times — are not the stories but their telling. In “Flight of the Red Balloon” Mr. Hou plays with light and space on the small canvas that is Simon and Suzanne’s apartment, moving the camera around as gracefully as if it were a brush (or a balloon).

In one magnificent scene the camera floats from one character to the next for roughly eight minutes without a single cut, tracing invisible lines between Simon, Suzanne, Song, an intrusive neighbor and a piano tuner who is working on the family’s old upright. Out of this chaos — Simon playing, Suzanne yelling, the piano tuner tuning, and Song simply moving among them — Mr. Hou creates the world.

FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON

Opens on Friday in Manhattan.

Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien; written (in French, with English subtitles) by Mr. Hou and François Margolin, inspired by the film “The Red Balloon” by Albert Lamorisse; director of photography, Mark Lee Ping Bing; edited by Liao Ching Sung and Jean-Christophe Hym; produced by Mr. Margolin and Kristina Larsen; released by IFC First Take. Running time: 1 hour 53 minutes. This film is not rated.

WITH: Juliette Binoche (Suzanne), Simon Iteanu (Simon), Song Fang (Song), Hippolyte Girardot (Marc) and Louise Margolin (Louise).

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The Red Balloon (Lamorisse, 1956): France

Reviewed by Nitsa Pomerleau . Viewed on DVD.

The narrative is beautifully simple: a young boy named Pascal clambers up a lamppost to untie a large candy-red balloon, and the two become friends. As the Balloon floats through the streets of Ménilmontant it reveals a playful and mischievous intelligence—taunting a vile schoolmaster and engaging in a balloon’s rendition of hide-and-seek. The story drifts from Pascal’s school to a flea market, the rain, into a pâtisserie, outside an apartment window; with the two friends frequently fleeing a mob of kicking, screaming, snatching students (truly, could there be a more universal villain?)

As a filmmaker with documentary experience, Lamorisse brings a sense of naturalism and clarity to The Red Balloon that is culturally, generationally transcendent. He draws an unforced, instantly loveable performance from his own five-year old son Pascal and daughter Sabine. In regards to the balloon, I am pleasantly lost in the mentality of a five year old struggling to discover the magician’s trick… apparently some very fine thread and crafty editing was involved.

Yet the fact that Lamorisse manifested (with practically primitive special effects) a childish fantasy of a balloon as companion, on the screen, deserves applause. Furthermore, he imbues the relationship with emotion and delicacy—in a language that is instinctual—and very cinematic. The composition of  every shot is gorgeous: natural light streams through cobbled alleys as little Pascal swaddles onwards, his head tilted to the huge balloon overhead, whose bright redness bobs sublimely against the tedium of gray stone and ether. Complementing this visual yarn is the quiet rhythm to Pascal’s ambling footsteps and Maurice Le Roux’s woodwind score. The film progresses as a balloon would: slowly, delicately, touching here and there, and always in motion.

For those of you with a vague inkling that you might have seen this film somewhere— you probably have. The 16mm print has been widely distributed in America and a rainy-day staple for elementary schools since the 1970s.  As the only short film to win an Oscar for Best Screenplay, as well as the Palme d’Or (for short films) at Cannes, The Red Balloon has served as a source of inspiration for children’s and art films for the last 50 years. In fact, I’ll eagerly remind you this year’s Oscar winner, Up, is based inside a house that flies with hundreds of multi-colored helium balloons! Just as our Pascal might have done in the final scene!! Even more exciting is Flight of the Red Balloon, an homage  of sorts to Lamorisse’ film by one of my favorite directors, Hou Hsiao-Hsien (and which prompted my reviewing of the classic).

The Red Balloon continues to play as an open-ended reverie of a young boy whose experience of love and friendship is one audiences of all ages will connect with. Am I a nostalgic sap? Yes. Still, the film is magical and worth a second viewing.

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14 Comments

A second viewing definately. I haven’t seen this one for several years. Great review. In reference to Up, I recently saw a Winsor McCay cartoon from 1921 called The Flying House. It made me curious if that also had some influence on Up.

I think it is very interesting the affect this film has had on the industry, inspiring all of these other films. It seems like a film that every person relates to differently, although I have not seen the narrative I have often seen the symbolic image of the red balloon in films, commercials, and television shows but never knew that it was because of this film. I wonder if the red color of the balloon is meant to represent passion, a theme in many other novels and stories and films. This review was wonderfully written and really makes me want to go out and experience this film for myself!

Wow! The author of this review, Nista Pomerleau, really did a great job writing this passage. Although I have never seen The Red Balloon, it certainly seems like a fascinating film with some serious depth as well as perhaps a lighter sense of entertainment, which is something that it not always apparent in film. I’m curious as to what dialog does exist in the film; is it something profound to the essence of the film (or perhaps not)? Anyway, I’m convinced that because of my interest in film, I must watch this film (or at least YouTube). Excellent review!!!

This short film, now available on You-Tube, is the typical story of good over evil but with the unusual twist of a bright red balloon befriending a young boy who must fight against all the older boys who want to destroy something that is good — the balloon. The irony of this film is its depiction of the innocent against the sociopathic and how, even in children, these two elements battle one another over and over and over. Why and how young children develop these negative traits is amazing and yet we see it over and over. Lamorisse did an admirable job portraying this deplorable condition using balloons and children, showing how some are naturally positive and others are destroyers. This remains true even as people mature. Those who want to control others and keep happiness at a minimum, try to eliminate possibilities that could lead to independence and individual expression but the irony is that Karma or Mother Nature or whatever anyone wants to call it, the balance of naure always wins and what goes around comes around. The reviewer of this movie expresses the director’s mission well, explaining how youth and fantasy will continue to win the hearts of those who look for goodness in this world — generation after generation. This movie was made in the 1950s but even 60 years later the universal message is clear and the film remains endearing to the viewer. The magic of youth is contagious and because we’ve all been there, we definitely can relate to the days in our past when the perfect friend would have been a bright red balloon — if only real life hadn’t come along to pop our balloon.

I believe this review really captures the film discussed. I have seen this film before in a prior film class, and I found the innocent personification of the balloon very entertaining. It captures the childlike love of the balloon, a simple toy, yet beloved by every child. The story is so simple, yet so universal. I love that the author of this review brings up the film Up, another film based on the freedom and simplistic love of balloons. I also strongly agree with the authors comparison of the slow and simplistic storyline to the nature of the balloon itself, as that is a comparison I have never made before. This review definitely made me want to see the film again!

This film reminds me a little of the narrative of “To Kill a Mockingbird” which relies heavily on childhood recollection. Filming technique is somewhat similar in its simplicity and it is also a film that can be watched through the ages and it doesn’t lose its appeal or message. While the subject matter is more complex, the basic message is clear and understandable and the approach it takes to convey its message is child like and simple.

Movies that do not have alot of dialogue can move its audience in ways that others do not. The movie Migration, with its beautiful cinematography and musical score relax audiences and allow them to put their own interpretations on what they are viewing. It allows the viewer to put their own emotions into a film and that allows variations of meanings that reaches vast audiences and keeps the film current and meaningful.

I think this review was very accurate. I remember watching The Red Balloon as a child many times!! It is such a sweet short film that no matter what the age, everyone is sure to enjoy watching it. When reading this review I can remember how even with no dialogue present, it was still very entertaining to watch. The innocence and simplicity of the film is also very impressive, especially to have won many awards. After looking through some of the other comments I am very interested in seeing the movie Up even more so now. I remember seeing a preview for Up and being reminded of The Red Balloon as well.

This review of the film was great! It was simple, yet detailed enough for someone to read and get a general idea of what the film is about. You can tell that the film has a sweet tone and one associates it with innocence due to the fact that the child is young and so intrigued with such a simple object, the red ballon. It is also very effective that the film has won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This movie is a great one that depicts childhood at its finest.

I too feel strongly about the 1956 beloved French short film entitled “Le Ballon Rouge” or better known by it’s American title “The Red Balloon”. I love this film! This is a classic that always moves me to tears every single time I view it. The film is about the relationship between a young boy and his colorful red balloon. This story is simple but it evokes so much emotion. The film reminds us of childhood behaviors, fascinations, and wonderment. The world looks so big to young Pascal and possibilities seem to be high as the Paris skyline. The narrative of this film is completely visual with very little dialogue. Yet we understand the emotions within each scene that are seamlessly enhanced by a complementing musical score. With a running time of about 35 minutes, this film manages to beautifully transport the viewer back into childhood by stirring up lost adult emotions of what it felt like to be innocent, curious, and imaginative again. You can’t help but to have a smile on your face while watching “The Red Balloon”.

The fact that Lamorisse can imbue a simple balloon with so much emotion and then make us emote all over it, is a masterful feat, and one that has rarely been duplicated in film. I really enjoyed this film and feel that is one that both adults and their children should watch together!

I’ve never seen this film, but Nitsa Pomerleau definitely initiated some curiosity and eagerness to see the red balloon. The reference to Up, which i loved, helped me relate some sort of familiarity to the film. I like the emphasis on the idea of childhood nostalgia and the fact that this was expressed by the director with very little dialogue. I appreciate that Pomerleau went into detail and really achieved capturing the point of entertainment and meaning for this film.

Ive never even heared of this film but it seems like a great one. In most movies the color red would symbolize bad, but in this movie it symbolizes passion, friendship and love. I can see how it could inspire one’s belifes by improving someones dedication and to strive for the greatest highest point. Just tlike in the movie “UP” the house rises so the old man can complete his one goal in life.

As a child I loved this movie. I had it on VHS and would watch it over and over again. I was reunited with this film about a year or so ago in one of my film studies classes and it was better than I remembered. The innocence of the young boy and his friendship with an inanimate object reminds me of my childhood, because as a young child I pretended that the tiny rubber balls I got from the 25 cent machines at the mall were my pets. Aside from my own personal connection and memories of the film I especially enjoy the film because it gives character and life to this balloon; and in return really makes you feel sympathetic for the boy and his balloon.

I must be a nostalgic sap as well, but thank you for a beautiful review of a beautiful film. Your insight that “Lamorisse brings a sense naturalism and clarity to The Red Balloon that is culturally, generationally transcendent,” could not be more effectively articulated. This is a film that everyone should have both the privilege of viewing as a child and the youthful spirit to seek it out again as an adult. I had vague memories of seeing The Red Balloon as a child and happily reminisced when I stumbled upon it again on Netflix. Whether you remember it from your childhood or not, this simple and innocent piece of film art will undoubtedly lift your spirits.

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REVIEW: “The Red Balloon”

Young Pascal (played by Lamorisse’s son Pascal) discovers a beautiful red balloon on his way to school one morning. He proudly walks along the streets of Paris with his new balloon while encountering a wide assortment of people, some friendly and some not so friendly. But over time we begin to believe the balloon has a mind of its own and a wonderful relationship develops between it and Pascal. It’s hard to believe but Lamorisse manages to make the balloon a true character in the film and we have no problems investing in this little boy’s attraction to and love for his red balloon.

We the audience basically just sit back and watch this young boy. There is almost no dialogue throughout the film, only a beautiful and appropriate score used at just the right times. But dialogue isn’t needed. The visual narrative is perfectly structured and paced and there’s not one thing that more dialogue could add that would improve on what we’re given. Young Pascal’s expressions, the beauty of Paris – even in this working class area, the amazing handling of the balloon, and the incredible camera work all contribute to grabbing us and wrapping us up in the wonderfully visual story.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

Share this:, 4 thoughts on “ review: “the red balloon” ”.

I almost picked this up a while ago, but decided against it in the end. Wish I had done now, i’ll definitely have to give it a watch. Nice review.

Thanks man. I’ve watched it twice now and truly love it. I had my 10 yr old and 7 yr old watch it with me as well. Such fun.

Sounds wonderful Keith. I’ll keep my eye out for it.

Good! I’d love to read your thoughts. Its a little treasure.

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Movie Review

The red balloon.

US Release Date: 03-11-1957

Directed by: Albert Lamorisse

Starring ▸ ▾

• Pascal Lamorisse ,  as
• Pascal the Boy
• Georges Sellier ,  as
• Vladimir Popov as

A boy and his balloon.

The Red Balloon is a wonderful children’s fantasy made in 1956. It runs only 34 minutes but is a whimsical, magical half-hour of entertainment. It won all kinds of awards from film festivals around the globe, including - incredibly enough - the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Remarkable for a live-action short with only a few lines of spoken dialogue all of which are spoken in French.

A little boy discovers a large red balloon tied to a lamp-post on the streets of Paris while walking to school. He climbs up and unties the balloon and thus begins a unique cinematic friendship. The boy soon discovers his balloon is magical. It follows him around and they have small adventures together on the beautiful old streets of Paris. The balloon goes to school with the boy and gets him in trouble.

Some neighborhood boys jealously steal the balloon away. The little boy is able to get his friend back and manages to outrun the other boys and get safely home. The next day the little boy tells his balloon to wait outside of a pastry shop while he goes in to get something sweet to eat. The jealous boys take this opportunity to kidnap the balloon. Once again the boy is able to retrieve his friend but the other boys chase him through the narrow back alleys of Paris and eventually regain control of the balloon.

The boys attack the little boy and he tells his balloon to “Fly Away”. Bravely the Red Balloon refuses to obey and is hit by a rock from a sling shot. The balloon slowly dies by losing air and floating to the ground where one of the boys cruelly steps on it. Suddenly dozens of balloons from all over Paris fly out of children’s hands and out of stores and up to where the little boy sits with his dead balloon. The final shot is the little boy getting a magical flight over Paris, carried by the dozens of multicolored balloons.

This simple movie beautifully illustrates innocence, then innocence lost, and finally innocence triumphant. It is truly a work of art.

A boy running with his best friend.

The balloon is not so much magical as it is alive. The boy rescues the balloon from being caught on a post and the balloon then becomes his friend. They share a couple of days playing and getting into mischief. The red balloon even gets a chance to flirt with a little girls blue balloon. At the end when it deflates it dies.

I am sure many art folk can debate about what the balloon and it’s relationship with the boy symbolizes. I do not see any symbolism other than what Patrick wrote, childhood innocence. This mundane object attracts the boys attention and he cherishes it dearly. Notice that his world is very drab. The boy, and most of his friends, favor gray colored clothes. His world is almost completely earth toned. The colors of the balloons are extremely attractive. As an adult I would have certainly been struck by it’s brightness had I seen it on a post. However, only a child would do something so whimsical as to take the time to pull it down and keep it with him.

The Red Balloon is truly a magical piece of feel good imagery.

Pure magic.

Thanks to an inexpensive distribution deal that was worked out with the production company, copies of this wonderful short were purchased for nearly every elementary school in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. I can still remember, nearly 40 years later, being shown a copy of it in the library of Greenwood Elementary. I thought it was a magical story then and I still do today.

As Eric wrote, it's easy to see symbolism in the Red Balloon if you watch it with your grown-up eyes. The balloon could represent so many things, like love, religion, or even Christ himself. However, to over analyze this film is to miss the point. It needs to be watched with the eyes of a child and with a sense of wonder. To a child, the balloon only represents one thing and that is a magical and special friend. And who, child or grown-up, can't help but feel joy at the wonderful and joyous ending of this delightful and timeless film

Since 2010, there has been a high-definition version available and the clarity of this new print is amazing. It is so crisp and clear that it looks virtually brand new. We've written often on this site about how older movies can be a window into the past. Too often though, older movies were filmed on soundstages and sets. However, this movie, particularly in HD, is truly a window into Paris of 1957. The drabness of the city that Eric pointed out was no doubt caused by the still lingering aftereffects of World War II. While America was prospering during a Golden Age in the 1950s, Europe was still slowly recovering and rebuilding and you can see evidence of bombed out buildings and empty lots.

Never has a movie so perfectly captured the feel of a classic children's book. Like Where the Wild Things Are and Harold and the Purple Crayon, this story will live forever.

Photos © Copyright Films Montsouris (1957)

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The Red Balloon (1956)

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