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The Red Balloon

Play trailer Poster for The Red Balloon TV-G Released Mar 11, 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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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Read all reviews
The Red Balloon

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Cast & Crew

Kismet 57% 50% Kismet Watchlist Darby O'Gill and the Little People 100% 77% Darby O'Gill and the Little People Watchlist Miracle in Milan 92% 89% Miracle in Milan Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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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