A balloon crashes. A life unravels. When Gaby’s world is shattered, she must face the past to find a way forward. The Balloonist, the first Dutch Disney+ Original feature, streaming October 3.
The Balloonist is the first Dutch feature-length original made for Disney+, directed by Tim Oliehoek and written by acclaimed author Benny Lindelauf.
This tragicomedy follows Gaby, a 37-year-old keeper of ornamental chickens, who lives a quiet life with her 7-year-old son and elderly mother. That life is turned upside down when a hot-air balloon crashes onto her property — and with it, an arrogant pilot drops quite literally into her world.
The unexpected crash sets off more than just a chain of repairs: it reopens old wounds, brings buried family tensions to the surface, and forces Gaby to confront her past, her future, and the limits of her own resilience.
Produced by Elbe Stevens Films, The Balloonist marks a new milestone in Dutch cinema as the first Disney+ Original feature from the Netherlands. Planet X is proud to have delivered the visual effects for the film — including the balloon crash and its aftermath — helping shape the visual tone of this bittersweet and uniquely Dutch story.
Streaming October 3, 2025, only on Disney+.