The Red Balloon

TV-G

Released Mar 11, 1957

34 min.

Fantasy

List

96%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A red balloon with a life of its own follows a boy around Paris.

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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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Ian W

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/23

Full Review

Christopher B

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!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/22

Full Review

isla s

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

joel h

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is so pretty! I wonder if there're colorful balloons following people from amusement parks.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Maybe it's because it's old. But I couldn't really get into. I mean I understood it. But I couldn't get invested, like i wanted to but it just didn't happen. So yeah I see what it is and how good it's supposed to be. But yeah, the connection just didn't happen for me…

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Albert Lamorisse

Director

Pascal Lamorisse

Pascal

Vladimir Popov

Tennant

Paul Perey

Actor

Renée Marion

Pascal's Mother

Sabine Lamorisse

Little Girl

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Wesley Morris

Boston Globe

Rated: 3/4

Nov 24, 2011

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Paul Schrodt

Slant Magazine

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.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 26, 2008

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

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

Apr 17, 2024

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

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

Rated: A+

Nov 23, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

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

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A red balloon with a life of its own follows a boy around Paris.

Director: 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

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