''Stowaway in the Sky'' (French: ''Le Voyage en ballon'') is a 1960 French family adventure film, in Dyaliscope and Eastman Color, directed by

Albert Lamorisse Albert Lamorisse (; 13 January 1922 – 2 June 1970) was a French filmmaker, film producer, and writer of award-winning short films which he began making in the late 1940s. He also invented the strategic board game ''Risk'' in 1957. Life Lamor ...

. Albert Lamorisse used his ten-year-old son Pascal as the main character in the film.

Plot

The film tells the story of Pascal, a small child who's fascinated by his grandfather's lighter-than-air

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

. The older man claims he's invented the best mode of transportation: a balloon that can be controlled when in the sky. The altitude, direction, and speed of the balloon are all under the direction of the pilot. As the ''grand-père'' takes the balloon on a demonstration, Pascal climbs on board and lifts them both upward to an adventure. The balloon travels all around

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, over the ocean, and over ''

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and ...

'' in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. However, the balloon turns out to be not so controllable: church spires become objects of threat, factory smokestacks become volcano-like, a stag hunt is no longer about the thrill of the chase, and they inadvertently kidnap washing on a clothesline and a guest at a wedding party in Brittany. The land-bound adults have conniptions as the balloon wafts by, yet, Pascal has a great time.

Background

Jack Lemmon, the narrator of the film's English version, was so impressed with the film that he bought the American rights.

Cast

* Pascal Lamorisse as Pascal * Maurice Baquet as ''Le mécanicien'' * André Gille as ''Le grand-père'' (grandfather) * Jack Lemmon as Narrator (English version narrator)

Critical reception

In a brief film review of the film the weekly news magazine ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' wrote, "''Stowaway in the Sky'' will enchant moppet, matron and greybeard with its breath-catching, balloonist's-eye view of the fair land of France."''Time
film review, July 13, 1962.

Awards

Wins *

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

: OCIC Award; ''Le Voyage en ballon''; 1960. Nominations * Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion; ''Le Voyage en ballon''; 1960.

Footnotes

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stowaway In The Sky 1960 films 1960 adventure films French aviation films 1960s French-language films Films directed by Albert Lamorisse Balloons (aeronautics) French adventure films 1960s French films