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The Red Balloon

Play trailer Poster for The Red Balloon TV-G 1957 34m Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A red balloon with a life of its own follows a boy around Paris.
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The Red Balloon

The Red Balloon

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Critics Consensus

The Red Balloon invests the simplest of narratives with spectacular visual inventiveness, making for a singularly wondrous portrait of innocence.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Schrodt Slant Magazine 04/26/2008
3/4
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. Go to Full Review
Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer 12/13/2007
4/4
A beautiful little meditation on childhood, on imagination literally taking flight. Go to Full Review
Kate Fuscoe Time Out 11/19/2007
As enjoyable for adults who wistfully view scenes of post-war France in all its black and white chicness, as it is for kids. Go to Full Review
David Harris Spectrum Culture 04/17/2024
With an ending that is both tragic and sublime, The Red Balloon has been a critical mainstay for decades. Go to Full Review
Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault 11/23/2022
A+
The real star is the balloon itself -- bright bright red, candylike, somehow conveying joy and loneliness and relief and despair. Go to Full Review
Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies 08/24/2022
4.5/5
A magical meditation on the innocence of a child’s imagination meeting the harshness of reality. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dani G Jun 30 I was thinking... Maybe "UP" got some kind of inspiration from this? A nice short-medium film to watch with the family See more Ian W 08/27/2023 The last time I saw this film, I was in infant school. One of my earliest (vague) memories. My daughter is going to work in Paris soon, and I watched it again. Magical. See more Christopher B 09/09/2022 Amazing what can be said with film in such a short 34 minute piece. Director Albert Lamorisse conveys such emotional depth and creates a wonderful fantasy world for those that can see it through a child's eyes. Such a wonderful display of youth and its innocence! We are given a beautiful and serene cityscape in which the young boy pursues this balloon and through camera technique and editing capture the travels with a brisk and whimsical take on the naivety of childhood, when all that mattered was what was at hand! See more isla s 09/02/2022 This is quite a cute and endearing short film, with little dialogue. It showcases the innocence of childhood well and it has perhaps a little of a cartoon-y feel to it with the bright red colour of the balloon sticking out over the darkly coloured city surroundings the boy (Pascal) finds himself in. I thought it was cute that he put it under a passer by's umbrella to protect it from the rain but that's all I'll say, so as not to spoil the rest of the film. I would recommend this, yes. See more joel h 03/11/2022 If I hadn't been told that this was an Academy Award winner, then I probably wouldn't have expected much, and been pleasantly surprised. However, since I did know this won an Oscar, as well as numerous other awards, I was a little let down. It's a short, simple, and cute film, but I don't know why it got so much attention & accolades. See more 09/19/2021 This film is so pretty! I wonder if there're colorful balloons following people from amusement parks. See more Read all reviews
The Red Balloon

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Movie Info

Synopsis A red balloon with a life of its own follows a boy around Paris.
Director
Albert Lamorisse
Producer
Albert Lamorisse
Screenwriter
Albert Lamorisse
Distributor
Lopert Pictures Corp.
Production Co
Films Montsouris
Rating
TV-G
Genre
Fantasy
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 11, 1957, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2009
Runtime
34m
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