Two Balloons

Two Balloons is impossible not to love. It's truly a feast for the senses. We were lucky enough to screen it at the 2019 edition of the Bushwick Film Festival and had the good sense to place it as the closing film in a "space" themed shorts block. Every choice made by it's director, Mark C. Smith, is a perfect one (not something you can say about many films or directors). Highly recommended.

Greetings again from the darkness. Stop-motion animation is always fascinating to me, and when it's done very well, it can be downright mesmerizing. And that's what we have here thanks to Director Mark C Smith and Producer and Visual Effects artist Adam C Sager.

Two lemurs are navigating their dirigibles across the beautiful sky to meet up at a particular spot previously agreed upon. A messenger bird helps out so much along the way, one might call it a love bird. Their plan is disrupted by an ominous storm, but whether in the sky or at sea, love finds a way.

The film contains no dialogue, no narration, and there is no storyboard giving you background or detail. Just beautiful animation and lovely accompanying music. Maps, ropes, and scopes are all provided in such detail, and the long tails of the lemurs are constant and fluid in motion.

It's a dream-like 8 minutes that could be a wonderful bedtime story or video, regardless of one's age.

Two Balloons capped off the 2019 Rochester International Film Festival where it was very warmly received. This touching and engaging love story of two lemurs traveling great lengths to come together is told without the use of dialogue. The simple but engaging music and crisp animation tell the story effectively on their own. I was mesmerized from beginning to end.

Two Balloons screened at the Kansas International Film Festival last month and was a festival favorite. This short won Best Animation and Audience Choice awards, sweeping the animation category. Two Balloons is beautiful down to every detail.

TWO BALLOONS was one of the absolute highlights of the Providence Children's Film Festival. Animation is a labor of love and it's no more evident then when watching this film. The film score perfectly complements the narrative of two lemurs who apparently have met and departed before sharing their true feelings for one another. The attention to detail in each scene is truly amazing. Also noteworthy were the use of uniquely designed dirigibles... and the flip-book animation within this animation. Our audiences could watch this film again and again and again.