20 Fantastic Blimps, Balloons, And Dirigibles In Movies
15. Billy's Balloon (1998)
However, sometimes violence is funny.
As if in answer to the uncynical sweetness of The Red Balloon, 1998 brought Billy's Balloon. Directed by Don Hertzfeldt, who would later direct 2015’s Oscar-nominated World of Tomorrow, Billy's Balloon tells the story of a balloon that isn’t so happy to be the property of little Billy.
Beginning with a sweet shot of Billy holding the balloon, the film devolves into Billy getting battered by the balloon, and eventually escalates to the balloon grabbing Billy, choking him, lifting him into the air, and dropping him to the ground, which seems to lead to a balloon uprising.
The simple animation and lack of dialogue help give this darkly comical short film some wonderfully memorable visuals.