BALLOON LAND (1935) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Ub Iwerks

Written by - (uncredited)

Starring - Billy Bletcher

"Ub Iwerks, the co-creator of Mickey Mouse, was never really given enough credit for his work, possibly because overshadowed by Walt Disney himself and because he was himself unsuccessful as the owner of his own studio. Nevertheless, some of his works remain that reveal his true genius, and Balloon Land  is certainly one of them. 

The story of Balloon Land is very simple, and takes place in a land made up entrirly of and is inhabited by people made of balloons. One day, a balloon boy takes his girlfriend to the forest, unaware of the fact that there is a pin cushion man there, who amuses himself by popping everything that crosses his path and who starts chasing them as soon as he sees them. 

The creativity of this short is astonishing. As a pioneering animation short, this is far more edgy than the vast majority of cartoons produced at the time by Walt Disney and Warner Bros. The imaginativeness employed in the creation of the world in which the action is set in is extremely attentive and wonderful and the drawings are very colourful and outlined by heavy lines. 

All this points at surrealist vibes that actually describe perfectly the intentions of the filmmakers. Despite the happy start and the seemingly harmless gags, as well as the colourful nature of the film, Balloon Land is in fact quite dark and even openly creepy. The pin cushion man himself is quite a frightening and original creation, and there is certainly some genuine suspense to be found in the chase narrative that drives the film."

Animation, USA