the red balloon

"Le balloon rouge" or "The Red Balloon" is an older short film first released in 1956 and both written and directed by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse.

The film is a short watch, only about thirty four minutes long and transcends time, age, language and nationality.

I sat my rambunctious three year old nephew down to watch it with me and I was amazed how quietly he sat through the entire film, memorized by a mischievous red balloon that followed a little boy throughout Paris.

Albert Lamorisse I think has to be one of the great film makers of all time.  How back in the 1950’s he got the balloon to magically follow the little boy around the city I believe was pure genius.

And then there was this beautiful story that even a three year old can silently watch and understand from beginning to end, over fifty years after it’s release.

The movie is in French, but there is only a few spoken sentences in which you don’t need to know the language to understand what is being said.

If you have a little one in your house or family, this is a heartwarming film that will be enjoyed by children from generation to generation.

And I must say, that for the child that still lives within me, I couldn’t help but be touched by this big red balloon that simply captured my heart.