American illusionist David Blaine once again did what he does best: pushing the boundaries and doing things that seem unlikely.
He went up in the air using a bunch of giant helium balloons.
Yes, like the 2009 Pixar film Up. But according to Blaine, his latest stunt dubbed “Ascension,” was inspired by the 1956 French short film The Red Balloon, a story about a young boy who befriends a red balloon with a mind of its own.
“Every single stunt that I’ve ever done is about endurance and pushing past what I thought would be possible,” Blaine said in a video before his performance.
His previous stunts—mostly death-defying—included being buried alive for seven days, standing in a block of ice for 72 hours, and being electrified.
For “Ascension,” livestreamed on YouTube, he floated 24,900 feet over the Arizona dessert, strapped and holding on to a cluster of 50 balloons (just like the kid in the movie) while he was talking to his daughter mid-flight. He then jumped and parachuted back to the ground with no reported injury.
David Blaine said he did the stunt for his daughter.