the audience applauded

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Disappointing Continuation

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

There's some twisted stuff going on in "Billy's Balloon"and it is hilarious. Why in the world would a balloon want to attack a small child? And what harm could it possibly do? Don Hertzfeldt happily answers one of those questions and this is a fine example of simplistic animation (and perverse intent) executed for serious laughs. the sens of humor is fantastic; just when you think you know what'll happen, Hertzfeldt flips the script. Violent without being violent. The man's a genius.8/10

There's quite a few horror films where toys suddenly turn evil and attack their owners, mostly of course Chucky. 15 years ago, writer-director Don Hertzfeldt, then in his early 20s, gives us his approach on the matter. A world full of vile balloons, but they only reveal they're alive when no grown-ups are around, just like the protagonists from Toy Story. I recently read that Oprah Winfrey has a severe case of balloon-phobia. I wonder if she ever watched this short film.Anyway, everything seems harmless at first until little Billy's red balloon all of a sudden reveals his inner life and starts punching the poor kid. The severity of the attacks increases by the second and this film turns out as sadistic as funny. If you're constantly annoyed by noisy rattles, you will surely like the punishment depicted herein, the highlight being one balloon pulling up a baby to watch another baby, pulled up by another balloon, being hit by an airplane the very moment when they're waving at each other. So much for misery loves company.Bitter films, the name of the production company is quite fitting. You'll be massively appalled by this short film. Or you'll love it to death. Possibly both.

A funny short from Don Hertzfeldt, which has all the common elements present in most of his works : An apparently innocent beginning, a very simplistic, but very appealing art style, and lots, lots of black humor, with many twisted jokes contained in a very short time.The result is pretty effective, and well done. Even when this doesn't have the same level of complexity of "Everything Will Be OK" or "I Am So Proud Of You", this is a pretty good gag short, that serves to show how through animation even the most harmless thing, such as a balloon could be turned into something scary.Also, it's hilarious.

This isn't exactly like the famous 30-minute French classic film, "The Red Balloon." That 1956 Oscar-winning movie was about a young boy and his red balloon. So is this "cartoon," but that's where the similarity ends, story-wise.In this simply-drawn animated short, the red balloon - and other balloons- are nasty, sadistic, violent and deadly. Who would believe innocent balloons could be like this?! It's shocking at first, then funny, and then very funny as the dark humor totally takes over and the violence escalates. The variations on the one-joke theme are fresh and make this one of the fastest five-minute animated movies I've ever seen.I didn't find this "sick." It's just black humor. Anyone who appreciates totally absurdity should love this movie. Just don't expect the sweet-and-cuddly opening to last too long!!