What a beautiful movie!

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

A forlorn little boy (a charming performance by Pascal Lamorisse) finds a new friend in the unlikely form of a bright red balloon that appears to have a vivacious life and mischievous personality of its own.Writer/director Albert Lamorisse brilliantly uses the deceptively simple premise as an utterly enchanting allegory on the awestruck wonder of childhood, the cynical indifference of the adult world to said wonder, and the tremendous indomitable spirit of anything and everything that chooses to embrace life instead of take it for granted. Moreover, this short's key triumph is the remarkably convincing way it manages to present the red balloon as a believably alive and free-spirited entity; the scenes with the red balloon following the little boy around like a loyal loving dog are a joy to behold. The ending with all the balloons whisking the little boy away into the sky is positively heartwarming. The gray rain-soaked locations serve as a neat contrast to the merry and magical mood. Edmond Sechan's vibrant color cinematography and Maurice La Roux's jaunty score both further enhance the overall sterling quality of this total treat.

This is an almost 60-year-old live action short film which runs for 35 minutes and won a Screenplay Academy Award, actually the only short film that managed this achievement. It's written and directed by Albert Lamorisse and features two of his kids including his son as the human lead character. The real star of the film is the balloon though. The most memorable thing about this slightly more than half an hour was the contrast between gray Paris and the bright red balloon. Still, I have to say I didn't really see anything unique or particularly memorable in here and I am a bit surprised that this short is so well-received till this day. Basically all we see is a little boy who goes through town with his balloon, occasionally loses it, but gets it back, while a couple other kids and adults try to grab the balloon as well. Maybe he is synonymous with some kind of hope and the metaphor for bringing more brightness into their lives. The ending was pretty spectacular, but in terms of the story I have to say it did not win me over either. The scene I liked the most was probably when the girl with her blue balloon meets the protagonist. This would have made a nice ending too, maybe watching the two leave together with their balloons before the closing credits roll in. Anyway, I was very much underwhelmed by this short movie. Not recommended.

Back in the '70's and early '80's my elementary school would would show us this short film every year. I just don't get it, at all. A kid finds a balloon. The balloon follows him around. His mother wont let the balloon in the house, so it hovers outside his window (kind of creepy). It is not like I hated it as a kid, but every damn year they showed it to us. Everyone else writing a review seems to love it, God bless them, but I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now. Every year, every stinking year, they'd make us sit through this garbage. I have to add another line or IMDb will not let me post this, so that is what this last line is about.

A friend recommended Pixar's "Up" to me recently. He said that he thought it had a world cinema 'flavour' to it.When he then said of that film's plot, I immediately said that it sounded exactly like Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon. He was intrigued, perplexed.Watching Red Balloon - one half of a Lamorisse DVD, the other being 'White Mane' - directly after 'Up', the similarities echoed ever more. About how when cornered and facing certain 'death' whether that be balloon or small French boy, a last bid for freedom is at least a dream, or even a prayer. 'God', you might say, 'get me out of here' and....well, you can fill that picture in yourselves.Anyway, back to the almost dialogue-free story. Being somewhat sceptical about having small children being a bit twee and 'Ahh' being sighed audibly by (stereotypically, on my half, admittedly) every elderly schoolmistress across the land as said big, red floaty object follows the boy around like a lovesick puppy.Scorn indeed, but a living, breathing Paris, in the early morning sunshine, along with occasional views of familiar landmarks keeps one keen to see where Mr floaty balloon will float to next. If, like me, you're also probably trying to catch out who and what is controlling this meandering object. "Are there strings attached when watching this DVD?"The film does have charm and is short enough not to have felt that too much of one's valuable life has been used to see it. This was my fourth viewing and I saw bits I hadn't before and the ending is really one of those that will rekindle faith and humanity into the coldest of hearts. Including slightly scornful and sceptical ones like me!