Scarecrow suggests | Like "Up"? Try "The Red Balloon," "Zathura" or "The Flying House" on DVD

The abundance of balloons in "Up" reminded us of another famous inflatable in film, Albert Lamorisse's charming, classic 1956 short film "The Red Balloon." A young boy (Lamorisse's son Pascal) befriends a balloon that sets off on a poetic and comical journey as it follows him to school and through the streets of Paris. Despite its length and minimal dialogue, the film won an Oscar for best original screenplay.

If you enjoy adventures from the relative safety of a flying house, consider 2005's imagination-fueled "Zathura," based on the book by author Chris Van Allsburg ("The Polar Express," "Jumanji"). Two brothers, bored from being stuck in the house and with each other, find an old '50s-style sci-fi game in the basement and decide to give it a try. But before they can make a full trip around the board, their house mysteriously launches into outer space. The boys do battle with some grumpy robots and aliens while trying to find a way home, aided by a lost astronaut they pick up along the way. "Zathura" was directed by Jon Favreau, who also helmed "Elf" and "Iron Man."

For another take on the house-that-can fly story, try cartoonist and animation pioneer Winsor McCay's "The Flying House." This 1921 hand drawn animated short film based on McCay's comic strip "Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend" goes inside a woman's dream in which her husband, in order to avoid paying the mortgage, gives their house the power of flight. The film is available on the "Winsor McCay: The Master Edition," a DVD collection of McCay's surviving films, including "Little Nemo" (1911) and "Gertie The Dinosaur" (1914).

Contributed by Scarecrow Video, 5030 Roosevelt Way N.E., Seattle; 206-524-8554 or www.scarecrow.com.