Le ballon rouge.

 "Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé".
"You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed".

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

 

 

I love short films. When you haven't got a lot of time, you're trying to put everything in these 2-10-30 minutes, all your thoughts, all you soul. Short films have something special inside, they remind me little children, open and naive, who only going to be adults, but already very smart. Furthermore, I adore French cinema, so The Red Balloon is one of my favourites. Made in 1956, this film is full of metaphors and ideas, it shows us that the friendship is one of the most powerful things in the world and that it's very difficult for uniques to live here.
The red balloon is flying during the whole film like a symbol of this friendship. The viewer sees it immediately on the screen - it attracts attention. It reminds me the girl in the red dress in Schindler's List - the same naive symbol of peace, which is killed by grey mass.
The film is not very bright - it's made to show the colour of the balloon. Many views of the sky signifies freedom, streets and windows show the new life. The boy was going to school every day, but the day with his friend is special so the viewer watches the walk in details. The camera moving smoothly, it follows the boy and the balloon, tanning (as at 3.34) is used as well.
French streets, atmosphere, sounds and a big red balloon - every detail shows us the beauty, the life and the love.

 

 

Take care of your friends.

 



Paperman.

- I'm not a puppet, I'm a real boy!
- Five shillings for the possessed toy. Take it away.
Shrek.

 

 

Paperman.

A film by Disney.

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTLySbGoMX0

 

 

Honestly, I don't like most of the Disney movies (except of Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, Bambi, Hercules (only because of Hades) and Lion King). They are too sweet for me. Furthermore, if Disney takes an idea from a book it will always change it (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid). And its main heros are always beautiful, while the evils are ugly.

But I'm talking about Paperman.

Have you watched it? Did you feel déjà vu? I have and I did.

And I don't talk about the pictures.

I'm talking about the main atmosphere.

 

 

Do you know this film? The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. It's an amazing one.

If you watch both you'll feel that they are quite similar - the atmosphere. How the books are papers are dancing and the metaphore.

But The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore was born in 2011, whereas Paperman is a 2012 movie. You can say that Paperman is different, but in fact it's copied. Copied Pixar, The Fantastic Flying Books and Disney's films as well. The animation is Disney's (a strong déjà vu - the faces of the main heros reminds me other Disney's movies), but this attempt to make a film with a Big Idea... Remember the Pixar's films - all of them full of great ideas, they are independent. But Paperman has got only a Love Idea, which can be good if there wasn't one thing. I'm not a cynic, but I don't like when Boss is represented as the main evil and the papers are throwing out from the window. Of course, we understand "the metaphore" that the main character wants to go out from this boring building, go to his beloved, but this film doesn't show us this idea as Pixar or The Fantastic Flying Books do.

To sum up, Disney watched a lot of Pixar's films and wanted to make its own clever film. But the attempt was weak. The same character, the same movements, but copied ideas (they couldn't even copy them in right way).