The Red Balloon

The Red Balloon is not Just a Child’s Film

The film The Red Balloon, directed by Albert Lamorisse, is, on the surface, a short movie about a young boy and a red balloon he finds. It is, on a higher level, a metaphor for friendship and a barometer for the viewer’s imagination, and inspires thought.

It is a story about a boy who finds a red balloon caught on the top of a street pole. He really likes his balloon, and carries it on his way to school. However, balloons are not allowed on the bus, so the boy must either abandon it or miss the bus. He opts to miss the bus, because who would want to abandon a friend to get to school on time? This causes him to be late to school, and since he obviously cannot bring the balloon into school, he gives it to the janitor to keep until he is out. The janitor gives it back at the end of the day, and the boy walks back home, only to find that his mom does not want the balloon in the house, and throws it out the window. Most balloons would fly up and be lost forever, but this balloon is the boy’s friend. It stays hovering outside his apartment window until morning. These are the events of just one day, and this film spans several.

Whether you are young or young at heart, you can instantly understand how the boy feels about his balloon and why he makes the choice to let the balloon use the umbrella on his way home from school, rather than keep himself dry.

The official description!

The Red Balloon (Fr. Le ballon rouge): a short film directed by French film-maker Albert Lamorisse in 1956.The thirty-four minute film (which has sound but virtually no dialogue) is set in Ménilmontant, Paris, and follows the adventures of a young boy, (played by Lamorisse's son, Pascal), who finds a large red balloon. The balloon has a mind and will of its own, following Pascal wherever he goes, floating outside his bedroom (as Pascal's mother won't allow it in the house). In their wanderings around Paris, Pascal and the balloon encounter a gang of bullies, but tragedy is replaced by a magically happy ending. Release date 1956