The Red Balloon

In 1950s Paris, a young boy named Pascal comes across a large red balloon tied to a lamppost on his way to school. Rather than drifting away, the balloon follows him through the streets, waiting outside his home, his school and the church. A quiet bond forms between the two, drawing curious looks from adults and the envy of other children in the neighbourhood, and the balloon's independent behaviour keeps leading Pascal into difficult situations.

Albert Lamorisse wrote, produced and directed this French short film, which followed his earlier feature White Mane from 1953, with Lamorisse's own son Pascal playing the boy. The largely dialogue-free story runs just over half an hour.

The film has been widely praised: on IMDb it holds a rating of 8.1 from around 22,000 votes, and a critics' rating of 9 out of 10 from 25 reviews, indicating strong critical approval alongside its popular audience standing. On TMDB its rating is 7.7 from over 450 votes, a somewhat lower figure that still reflects broad appreciation for the short.