7 Minute Stories w/ Aaron Calafato
Aug 13, 2026 · 10 min · 5 segments
When Aaron learns that his childhood friend Justin has lost his dad, he turns to an old French film and a six-year-old belief that balloons might be magic. What follows is a story of friendship, hope…
[upbeat music] In the late 1980s, I was obsessed with a short French film titled The Red Balloon.
It follows the story of this kid who finds this magical balloon, and the balloon has a mind of its own.
Even as a six-year-old, I was asking myself, "Are balloons magic?" And the short answer was, in my six-year-old brain, I thought, "Yeah, possibly." Little did I know just a couple years later, I would have to put this theory to the test when I would have to call upon the power of a magic balloon to help a friend in need.
[upbeat music]
I was racking my brain as a six-year-old, trying to figure out how I could help my friend Justin.
I didn't know it was released, like, 30 years prior in 1956, that it was, like, critically acclaimed, that it even won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
I just know the film kicked ass, and I loved it, and it got my mind going and maybe provided a solution for my friend.
[upbeat music] In the late 1980s, I was obsessed with a short French film titled The Red Balloon.
It follows the story of this kid who finds this magical balloon, and the balloon has a mind of its own.
Even as a six-year-old, I was asking myself, "Are balloons magic?" And the short answer was, in my six-year-old brain, I thought, "Yeah, possibly." Little did I know just a couple years later, I would have to put this theory to the test when I would have to call upon the power of a magic balloon to help a friend in need.
[upbeat music]
I was racking my brain as a six-year-old, trying to figure out how I could help my friend Justin.
I didn't know it was released, like, 30 years prior in 1956, that it was, like, critically acclaimed, that it even won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
I just know the film kicked ass, and I loved it, and it got my mind going and maybe provided a solution for my friend.
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