Billy's Balloon is a 1998 animated short by animator Don Hertzfeldt. Similar to his other films, he utilizes a minimalist stick-figure technique. This film was part of the Official Competition of the Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Award for the Slamdance Film Festival, among many others. Don Hertzfeldt (born August 1, 1976) is the creator of many short animated films. ... The palace in which the festival takes place. ... The Slamdance Film Festival takes place each year in Utah at the same time as the Sundance Film Festival, competing with Sundance to provide what its supporters consider a truer representation of independent film-making. ...

The story

In a sick reversal of what children tend to do to balloons, a stick figure toddler (presumably named Billy) is viciously attacked by his red balloon. The balloon repeatedly beats him over the head, strangles him, and picks him up and drops him. The balloon proceeds to lift him high into the clouds, where he meets another kid with a yellow balloon. After the kid with the yellow balloon is struck by a passing commercial airliner, Billy's balloon drops him again.

What follows is a montage of other kids being viciously beaten, strangled, dragged, lifted, and dropped by their balloons.

External links

Official website: Bitter Films
Billy's Balloon on imdb.com