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• The Red Balloon (1956)

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A world of magic, friendship and love is all contained in a single, perfect red balloon in Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic, The Red Balloon

The film depicts a Paris almost completely unfamiliar to contemporary America. It seems that today, Paris is synonymous almost exclusively with romance, excitement and unparalleled glamour. Refreshingly, that’s hardly the Paris depicted here. Lamorisse’s Paris is a world of adults and that world is gray. There are no triumphant shots of the Eiffel Tower or cinematic strolls down the Champs Elysses. There are only labyrinthine gray streets encased by towering and unremarkable gray buildings where people in gray suits walk every day. Then in the midst of it, there is a single red balloon.

The film tells the story of the magic contained within the red balloon and the surprising friendship formed between it and a little boy. Together as they walk the streets of Paris, the balloon provides the only pop of color and seemingly the only source of life. Told with hardly a word spoken, this 34 minute film speaks volumes about the secret lives of children.

That said, what The Red Balloon should be most commended for is its ability to be a children’s film with a brain. All too often contemporary kids’ films are seen as an avenue to give up or a genre where it simply isn’t worth the effort to make something genuine. It’s a way to make money and to make it quickly without anyone complaining too much. After all, it’s only for kids. This is the attitude churning out movies like Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Lamorisse chooses to give children the credit they’re due. It doesn’t talk down to them and it doesn’t disrespect their fears or their loves. It’s no doubt the inspiration for today’s modern kids’ film auteurs, Brad Bird and Hayao Miyazaki.

With elegant and sophisticated cinematography, the eye helplessly follows the flight of the red balloon. In combination with the artful score by Maurice Leroux and Pascal Lamorisse’s heartwarming performance as the young boy, it seems almost cruel not to fall at least a little in love with The Red Balloon.