What Does That Kid From The Red Balloon Look Like These Days?

By Dustin Rowles | Miscellaneous | April 25, 2013 |

By Dustin Rowles | Miscellaneous | April 25, 2013 |

That’s the question I set out to answer, and I actually wanted to know more, like: What is he doing with his life? But sadly, there’s scant information on the web about Pascal Lamorisse, who was six years old when he starred in The Red Balloon, the Oscar-winning short-film directed by his father, Albert Lamorisse, in 1956. This is the most recent image of Lamorisse that I could find.

Lamorisse is 63 years old now, so I’m guessing that the image is several years old. The only decent interview with him I could find was a four-minute audio interview with NPR in 2007, where he talked about the film ahead of its re-release and plans to do a sequel, which hasn’t yet happened. That sequel would’ve clued us in on the fate of little Pascal at the end of The Red Balloon.

Because that’s all the information I could dig up, let me take a moment simply to recommend the short film, especially to parents. My 5 year old is obsessed, and despite the fact that it’s French, it’s perfect for both children and adults, and at half an hour, well-suited to their attention spans. I am sad to say that I watched it for the first time only recently, and it was my kid who introduced me to it, and it was with some disbelief that I pegged my kid for a lover of French films.

The movie is about a small child whose only friend is a red balloon, and you could say that it explores childhood, bullying, and alienation, but really, it’s just about a red balloon that befriends a kid. It’s beautiful, though. Charming, whimsical, and perfect, a brilliant little film as much about imagination as it provokes our own.

It’s on Netflix. Check it out. It’s suitable for all ages.