Summary
Alice and Julius embark on a high-stakes, $10,000 aerial contest, their vibrant balloon one of four vying for supremacy. Almost immediately, the race devolves into a chaotic struggle for survival as a malevolent rival sabotages a competitor and then targets our duo, sending their seemingly robust vessel plummeting. Grounded, Julius's conventional attempts at re-launch prove futile, forcing him into increasingly outlandish solutions. A chance encounter with a smoking hippo ignites a spark of desperate ingenuity, leading to a pepper-induced sneeze of colossal proportions that propels the balloon skyward once more—though Julius himself is left behind, necessitating a precarious mid-air retrieval via an unanchored rope ladder. Their brief return to the competition is short-lived, as a sudden lightning storm ravages their balloon. Undeterred, Julius improvises replacements from the most improbable materials: first, a dachshund and "thought balloons," then a bizarre, air-pumped elephant. His resourceful, if absurd, persistence propels them back into the fray, leading to a final aerial confrontation with the villain amidst another tempest. The climax sees both balloons, now grotesquely patched and re-engineered, crash-landing in a heap, with Alice caught in the comedic fallout, culminating in a frantic dash from their persistent antagonist.
Synopsis
Alice and Julius, as a team, are one of four entrants in a $10,000 balloon race. The bad guy takes out one balloon quickly. It's not clear what kind of balloons these are, since they are sealed like hydrogen/helium balloons, but a good thwack on the top by the bad guy sends Alice and Julius plummeting to the ground, balloon still intact. Julius makes some attempts to re-launch, but they fail. He spots a hippo, smoking nearby, and has an idea: using some pepper, he creates a massive sneeze that re-launches them. But he wasn't onboard. Alice throws down a rope ladder, but it isn't anchored; Julius eventually pulls himself up with a rope. They are then immediately under attack by a lightning storm, which deflates the balloon. Julius makes substitutes from, first, a weiner dog and a couple of empty thought balloons, then, an elephant with extra air pumped in. He grabs a passing bird and catches up to the bad guy, then finds himself in another battle with lightning. He throws a bolt at the bad guy's balloon, then has his own elephant get pierced by another. They land on top of each other, and on Alice, who was pacing back and forth on the ground, then run away from the bad guy.
Review Excerpt
"Is Alice's Balloon Race worth watching today? Short answer: absolutely, but with a significant caveat. This early animated short is a fascinating, frantic burst of creative energy, a must-see for animation historians and enthusiasts of the surreal, yet it will undoubtedly test the patience of those accustomed to more structured narratives.It’s a film for anyone who appreciates the foundational anarchy of early cartoons, the raw, unbridled imagination that preceded Disney's polished narratives. H..."
