User Reviews

Back in the 60s and 70s, schools in the US loved showing the French short film THE RED BALLOON. In fact, I was forced to watch it so many times that I truly came to despise the film! Now, for people like me, a gentle spoof is available entitled REVENGE OF THE RED BALLOON. Many people will like this short--even many of those that liked THE RED BALLOON. However, some will hate it since there are fans of the original who are pretentious idiots without sense of humor (believe me, I have received some nasty emails after I gave the original film a poor review and rating).

Whereas the original film ending in a "heart-warming" scene as a child is carried away by a huge group of balloons (presumably to his death if you think about it), this one begins with a red balloon seeking revenge for all the evil kids who popped it years earlier. As it seeks out the guilty, the film pokes gentle fun of French stereotypes (I particularly loved the balloon sneaking Cheezewiz onto a gourmet's cracker in order to kill him). In the end, despite the many years past, the red balloon finally finds the little boy who loved him--leading to a wonderfully cynical ending.

The film deserves tons of kudos for matching the look of the new film with the old by deliberately yellowing the print and painstakingly seeking out the same locales. A brilliant and funny film that is much better than the pretentious film it parodies.