By Gabrielle. Instagram shot by Ben Blair.
Oh my goodness you guys. This one is for all the Paris lovers and dreamers out there. I can not wait for you to see this episode! It feels magical to me. I could just watch it forever. I love seeing such a magnificent place through a child’s eyes.
When we move back to the U.S., I’m positive we’ll watch this movie every time we get homesick for France. (Try it on vimeo if it’s not playing for you here.)
You can find out a little backstory about this episode here, and for those who are curious, Betty’s pom pom hat and over-the-knee socks are from Tea Collection. Please tell me you love the video as much as I do!
P.S. — Huge thanks to Tiger in a Jar for the gorgeous footage, to Merrilee Liddiard for the beautiful title illustration, and to our friend Caroline for helping out the entire time!
I love it! Adorable, sweet, charming, etc. This is my favorite by far.
I love this! So so cute. I love Paris and this is such a wonderful way to capture the city. I remember going at that age with my parents and the statues and gargoyles and artists were definetly my favorite part. Makes me want to make a film like this with my son while we are living here in Germany. Thank you!
It’s such a treat to watch kids in a city and see what they observe. I hope you get to make a video with your son!
Betty looks like an all-round excellent person to be around.
I love the cafe scene best. Perfect ‘cafe manners’. I think we should all make something similar of our own cities. Wish we had made one in Wellington, New Zealand when we lived there. My little one was 2.5 when we left but she still talks about her ‘favourite cafe’ and she is 5 now.
This is utterly charming. My favorite.
Oh my stars! Betty exploring Paris is bringing a smile to my face – ear to ear! I’m showing this video to my middle school art students today! We’ve been studying artwork from the Louvre!
I love this one! I used to live in Paris as a teenager and it truly is a magical place. I had to smile when she ate the baguette on her walk – I could never get a baguette home in one piece – they’re too yummy!
And la vie en rose! How perfect!
Here’s to hoping I get back there someday soon!
A warm baguette is a treasure.
It’s adorable! Love it!
After she makes the face with the gargoyle she does this tiny laugh. It is just a second. Totally her own response. Love.
This one is my favorite.
I love Betty’s laugh, too! Everything just works together so well–Betty’s sweet face, the magic of Paris, and the lovely music.
Very cute! How lucky is she to have this film forever! I have a feeling generations to come will appreciate this.
Magical! What a treasure for you to have these little videos of your time in France.
One of our favorites for sure! Betty is so adorable. She was made for Paris!
My son, Max, said,”Is she walking around Paris all by herself?!”
Thanks for making us smile.
I’m a Paris lover and dreamer; this is perfect. Beautiful. Amazing. Feels like a (very) short film.
Madeline in 2013!
How lovely! Votre video me rappelle tellement de souvenirs! Absolument adorable!
Thank you thank you thank you for transporting me back to my favorite city on earth. The lens color change, the architecture she mimics with her hands and body, her playful spirit… it was just so uplifting and beautiful. Something about the red hat and her gnome-like sweetness reminded me of 2 films: Le Ballon Rouge and Amélie. Well done!
C’est trop mimi! Bien filmé!
This was so sweet! Definitely my favorite episode yet. My husband served his mission in Bordeaux, and we often talk of going without our kids; but this video made me ache to take them with us!
Another wonderful episode! And you are definitely making my heart ache for a trip to Paris!
So charming! It makes me smile. That shot at the end of her on the carousel is stunning. I love the cafe scene too. It’s just perfect. Thank you for brightening my day!
C’est la!
It is exactly how it feels to be in Paris!
The melancholy..the beauty…the inspiration. Betty, in her own way, captured it perfectly.
Well done.
I adore this episode!!! Everything about it is just perfect. Well done :) It brought back memories of my high school trip to Paris, and my husband and I are hoping to visit the City Of Light for our 10 year wedding anniversary in 2014. I can’t wait!
Oh I LOVED this video. In fact I adore all the Olive US short films. I have all girls and one evening I wanted to show them the one of you all cleaning up after dinner. It was quite inspiring for me since I think I need to put in a more fun into our everyday tasks. After that one they watched all of them! They love them. Please continue to make more. My family loves them. Thank you for also sharing your amazing trips and experiences abroad. What a fun family you have.
This is so stinkin’ cute and I feel incredibly inspired.
Thank you Gabrielle!
How utterly dreamy. I do think I love it as much as you, or perhaps not quite since you’re her mama! It’s the 2013 version of “The Red Balloon” without any of the melancholy.
Ahhh! Little Betty, she is so adorable. This was so great, favorite Olive Us episode thus far. I loved the part where she ate at the cafe as well as when she made lion faces. Way too cute, and she just made Paris not only seem beautiful but so fun and relaxing. Much love to your family!
I live in Paris but have to admit I don’t love it as much as most of the other expats do…but watching this video, I had one of those moments where you step back and go, Wow, I live here. Thanks for making me appreciate what I have.
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My 5 and 2 year old loved this episode! They giggled out loud when Betty growled at the lion. At the end my 2 year old said, “I want more Betty!!” Thanks!
This was better than the Red Balloon.
At the end, I felt happy inside–not just happy, but full of joy and delight!
My children loved it. My two-year-old said her favorite part was “the horseys.”
My children have been enamored with images of Europe lately, and my oldest has especially been loving Paris. This was perfect for her.
I served a mission in France. While I can explain some things to them, seeing Betty on the cobblestones explained it to them much better than I ever could have done. They LOVE it. We watched it three times yesterday and they want to watch it more.
My daughter and her friends have been having parties about different countries (so far they’ve done China and Greece). The next one is about France, and we’re hosting it. We added watching this movie to the list of things that we are doing.
This is so beautiful. It showed them what I cannot explain to them in so many ways.
I am making baguettes and citron tarts for them today. Macarons are on the menu for next week.
That was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Charmante!
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Oh Gabby how utterly awesome is this?? I love it from an artistic perspective (the little details….the view of sweet Betty’s red stockings and hat skipping in that aerial view is SO good….and the pyramid shot….and the baguette….and her hand lingering on the locks on the fence. All MAGIC. But what moved me the most was what a special special family keepsake this is of your beautiful little girl and this most wondrous time in your lives. Priceless. I posted it today on Modern Kiddo and my mom called me up this morning to tell me how delightful she thought it was—and that she promptly watched the entire series! Hurray for the Blairs! xoxo
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This video is so lovely! I showed it to my fourth graders for a creative writing exercise and they were enchanted! They were able to write thoughts, feelings,poems, or a story about her. They all agreed that she was very lucky to get to eat by herself!
Oh my goodness, this is so heart warming! I just love her eiffel tower jump. It’s precious!
Gabrielle, this is a great video that she will love forever.
A year ago I made a video with my son for a contest. My one is very amateur and simple (I only used my iPhone) but we still love to watch it. ;)
That was just incredible. I cannot imagine how much she will love to watch that as a grown up. What a terrific idea. It is beautifully shot and makes me ACHE to go back to Paris. With my daughter this time.
I absolutely *love* this video! My 7 year old watched it with me, and he’s convinced that he could navigate a major city alone now. ;)
I don’t know you or Betty and I’ve never been to Paris but I just sat here mesmerized by this video! LOVE!!!
Best episode, yet. Makes me want to go to Paris more than anything, ever! :D What a privilege to see Paris through a kids’ eye view! xoxoxo
I just discovered you through pret a voyager and this video is so beautiful I could cry! I look froward to discovering more on Design Mom. Thank you!
Oh I love the Olive us series, I just followed a link from MIL to find this one … unbelievably cute, it takes me back to my youth when I spent a brief few years in Paris ….
xx
… I’ve clearly been a bit slow btw, although I have loved Olive us for ages, I never put 2 and 2 together and linked it to you at Design Mom – doh!!
Love! Showed this to my 3.5 year old, who has been obsessed with the Eiffel Tower lately, and she promptly requested it again . . . and then watched all of the other Olive Us episodes (which she requests by saying, “Can we watch another Betty?!”). She then spent the next day discussing whether or not she would ever meet Betty and if Betty would want to play with her. Your sweet Betty has made another far off fan!
Wow, magical! Love it!!!
reminds me of my favorite movie:
“Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain”
Skipping on the stones of Paris, baguette in hand, a grown up sit and sip at a sidewalk cafe, standing tall like the Eiffel Tower…bliss! Thank you for the joy!
“Even my heart, standing in its socks,does a little two-step from inside its box.”
Norbert Hirschhorn
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This is my favorite.