THE RED BALLOON!

The Red Balloon is a short french film made in 1956. It is half an hour long and has little dialogue, it is exactly the type of thing I want to create in my animations. The story is about a red balloon which has a life of its own and follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.

The main plot:

"The film, which has a music score but almost no dialogue, tells of Pascal (Pascal Lamorisse), who, on his way to school one morning, discovers a large helium-filled red balloon.

As Pascal plays with his new found toy, he realizes the balloon has a mind and will of its own, and it begins to follow Pascal wherever he goes, at times floating outside his bedroom window as Pascal's grandmother won't allow it in the apartment.

The red balloon follows Pascal through the streets of Paris, and the pair draw inquisitive looks from adults and the envy of other children as they wander the streets. At one point the balloon enters Pascal's schoolroom, causing an uproar from the other students. The noise alerts the principal, who becomes angry with Pascal and locks him up until school is over. At another, Pascal and his balloon encounter a little girl (Sabine Lamorisse) with a blue balloon that also seems to have a mind of its own.

In their wanderings around the neighborhood, Pascal and the balloon encounter a gang of bullies, who are envious of Pascal's balloon, and they soon destroy his new friend.

The film ends as the other balloons in Paris come to Pascal's aid and take him on a cluster balloon ride over the city."

The New York Times review of the film...

Some more clips from the film...

The film is beautifully shot, some stills from the film are below, I won't be drawing detailed characters but I think it helps my research and my ideas looking into the film in detail...