THE STORY – In 2075, a ten year old girl, Iris, witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. It’s Arco. He comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible. Iris shelters him and will do whatever it takes to help him return to his time.
THE CAST – Swann Arlaud, Margot Ringard Oldra, Vincent Macaigne, William Lebghil, Alma Jodorowsky, Oscar Tresanini, Louis Garrel & Oxmo Puccino
THE TEAM – Ugo Bienvenu (Director/Writer) & Félix de Givry (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 88 Minutes
There seems to be a notable resurgence in animation recognition in recent years. Whether this is thanks to the auteur Hayao Miyazaki and the illustrious Studio Ghibli or the likes of the indie award gem “Flow” of last year, this is a welcome change in attitude for the industry as a whole. For too long, the medium of animation has often been written off as unserious material for children rather than taken thoughtfully as a unique art form. “Flow,” for example, premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section to a cacophony of praise and recognition that lasted throughout awards season. This year’s Cannes Film Festival continues its tradition of programming unique animated films from all over the world with “Arco,” a film from France written and directed by filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu and produced by Academy Award winner Natalie Portman.
The colorful film takes place in a futuristic year where rainbows are actually time travelers. Arco (Oscar Tresanini), a 12-year-old boy from that distant future, adorned with his magic rainbow cape, loses control and literally tumbles through time, away from his year, home, and family, only to crash-land in the past–in the year 2075. Time travel doesn’t exist here yet; robots have integrated peacefully into our society as sentient beings, and environmental challenges are dramatically transforming the world. Iris (Margot Ringard Oldra), a young girl from the period, comes across him and befriends the boy, hiding him from his would-be captors: three stooge-like bumbling goons who are on the children’s tails at all times, determined to get this peculiar child back to his time where he belongs.
“Arco” stands out amongst the crowd of other animated features due to its notably beautiful animation style, vibrant use of rainbow colors, soaring score, and focus on the child characters in a way that’s reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s works. Outside of the futuristic vision for the earth and the exploration of rainbows as time-traveling beings, the film’s premise is largely unoriginal and deeply familiar. Still, “Arco” holds a deeply nostalgic feel within its hand-drawn self that one can’t help but be taken in by this simple tale of friendship, adventure, and belonging. With its childlike perspective, it explores themes of hope, empathy, and the consequences of progress, set against a visually stunning backdrop rendered in vibrant colors and imaginative design.
“Arco” is Bienvenu’s first film, which makes the concise 88-minute tale all the more impressive. The French director is also an illustrator and comic book author, with his graphic novel “System Preference” illustrating a futuristic reality quite similar to “Arco,” yet not far off from our current state and relationship with technology. “Arco” even uses one of his novel’s characters, Mikki the robot, to appear and provide a parental and domestic version of a sentient AI, which has integrated into society as a service worker. With his comics and “Arco,” Bienvenu has a knack for exploring ethics, humanity, and our tumultuous relationship with the technology we have created and rely so much on. Bringing up such questions through the eyes of child characters makes it all the more effective, allowing significant, complicated issues to feel simple and grounded in emotion.
The talented Tresanini and Ringard Oldra are wonderful in their respective roles as Arco and Iris. Mikki, Iris’ family’s personal robot assistant who acts as a sort of live-in maid and au pair, is brought to life by the voices of Alma Jodorowsky and Swann Arlaud (“Anatomy Of A Fall“). There is abundant notable talent involved, with expert animator Adam Sillard providing lovely visuals and Arnaud Toulon flexing his composer capabilities to give “Arco” a sweepingly magical score to match the vivid animation unfolding on screen.
The art and animation of “Arco” is a unique blend of hand-drawn 2D style that has been greatly missed since Disney’s golden years, with the addition of an appealing amount of motion blur and a sort of intensity as rainbows of color radiate from each frame. Arco’s robe itself is an undulating coat of colors, and when used correctly, it creates an arching rainbow as its wearer streaks across the sky, space, and time. The young Arco, of course, has to learn how to properly harness this ability as he goes through his adventure in the past with his newfound friend. The fantasy world-building and storytelling can feel quite simple at times, almost bordering undeveloped. Yet, it is compelling enough due to the film’s lovely voice performances, the artists’ passion behind the art on screen, and the score, which effectively tugs at your emotions.
Many Ghibli-inspired derivatives are more often than not visually appealing but lack a certain authenticity and profundity as they go for all style and less substance. “Arco” may not have the most developed script, with some world-building details left out and some confounding time-related particulars flying under the radar without further expansion or explanation. Still, the 2D animation style and heart of the film provide enough merit to make it easy to overlook where it falters. “Arco” isn’t just a wondrous time for the kids but an endearing and quite emotional tale that’s meant to stir up conversations about the importance of connection and reevaluating our relationship with technology and the natural world around us, in the hope that a balanced future with both might one day be achieved.
