The Red Balloon

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The Red Balloon

TV-G

1957

34m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

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

Rated: 4/4

Dec 13, 2007

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Kate Fuscoe

Time Out

As enjoyable for adults who wistfully view scenes of post-war France in all its black and white chicness, as it is for kids.

Nov 19, 2007

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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

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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

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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

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Dani G

I was thinking... Maybe "UP" got some kind of inspiration from this? A nice short-medium film to watch with the family

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/30/25

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Kismet

57%

49%

Kismet

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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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