The Red Balloon

A masterclass in how to make an inanimate object into a character. It's not like a balloon even has anything approximating facial features, but by the end of this film, the audience is totally enchanted by the "hero". And how is this miracle achieved? By movement (the balloon has a rather jaunty motion and bobs around endearingly) and by the interaction of the balloon and the small boy who finds it. The little game of hide and seek is one of the most sweet and lovely images I think I've ever seen - and this from someone with a strong aversion to *cute*. I started to think of the balloon as being mischievous, and there's a genuinely charming bit where it almost flirts with a passing blue balloon. Of course, having won over the spectator, the ending is all the more affecting. Who would have thought that the (deliberate) bursting of a balloon could be so upsetting? Still, the film finishes on a literal high as all the balloons in Paris come to the boy and carry him away. One of a kind.