The Red Balloon (1956)

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

Director:

Albert Lamorisse

Writer:

Albert Lamorisse

Stars:

Pascal Lamorisse, Sabine Lamorisse, Georges Sellier

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Pascal Lamorisse	...	Pascal - le petit garçon
Georges Sellier	...	Le marchand
Vladimir Popov	...	Un locataire
Paul Perey
Sabine Lamorisse	...	La petite fille au ballon bleu
Michel Pezin
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Renée Marion	...	La mère de Pascal

Storyline

A boy makes friends with a seemingly sentient balloon, and it begins to follow him. It follows the boy to school, to the bus, and to church. Boy and balloon play together in the streets of Paris and try to elude a gang of boys that wants to destroy the balloon.

---

Plot Keywords:

boy | balloon | street | school | little boy | 

---

Taglines:

The Academy Award Winning Sensation!

---

Genres:

Short | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 March 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Red Balloon

Filming Locations:

Ménilmontant, Paris 20, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Montsouris

Technical Specs

Runtime:

34 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of singer Renaud, aged three.

---

Goofs

For a brief instant, a wire can be seen attached to balloon as boy waits to cross street. Wire stands out against blue coat of man standing behind him looking on as the boy waits for intersection to clear.

---

Quotes

Pascal - le petit garçon: Could you hold my balloon while I'm in school?

---

Crazy Credits

Avec le concours: Des Enfants De Ménilmontant et Des Ballons De La Région Parisiénne (Translation: With the assistance of: The Children of Ménilmontant and The Balloons of the Paris region.)

---

Connections

Referenced in Winnie the Pooh (2011)

User Reviews

An All-time Favorite

This film is one of my all-time favorites. I consider it a masterpiece, and an emotionally moving experience. As an allegory on the power of love and friendship, it is unsurpassed. Yet one senses deeper, more profound meanings with the balloon as a symbol of the spirit and resilience of life itself, being able to mutate and regenerate itself in an endless flow of passion.