I remember seeing this 1956 film back in elementary school. I don’t remember which class, but I remember it was on a film projector, one of those old spooled and threaded machines that would clack-clack-clack when it was over and the tape ran out.

When I found it streaming on Neflix over Christmas break, I had to show it to Lucas and Atticus. They both were captivated by it for the whole time — quite a feat for a movie with virtually no dialogue.

They could sense that the little boy was lonely, that he needed a friend, and that the red balloon somehow knew this. <3