In the race for the Oscar for best animated film, the roles seem clearly divided at first glance: with Netflix's pop culture phenomenon “KPop Demon Hunters” and Disney's billion-dollar megahit “Zoomania 2”, there are two omnipresent audience favorites. It is therefore all the more interesting to look at those films that can hope for a nomination without the support of the big studios and, ideally, could even continue the underdog success story of the Oscar-winning Latvian independent animated film “Flow” from last year.
This year, these hopefuls include two French productions: the poetic family film “Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain” and “Arco”, which was awarded the main prize at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Visibly inspired by the works of Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away”), Ugo Bienvenu’s debut film tells a time travel story set in the future for the whole family. At the center of the colorful animated film is the encounter between two children who, although separated by centuries, still develop a deep connection with each other. In their friendship they both find hope – and a new perspective on their own lives.
“Arco” comes from France, but is strongly reminiscent of the masterpieces from Studio Ghibli (“Howl’s Moving Castle”).
In the year 2932, people can travel back in time using rainbow cloaks and special crystals. Arco (voice: Oscar Tresanini), a bright 10-year-old boy, lives with his family on a platform island above the clouds. While his parents and his older sister regularly go on time missions, Arco has to stay at home because time jumps are only permitted from the age of twelve.
When his family returns to the green platform after a long absence, Arco makes a momentous decision: he steals a crystal, grabs his sister's cape and flies off – without knowing exactly how time travel actually works. Eventually, Arco ends up in a forest in 2075, where he loses his crystal upon impact. He also finds himself in the sights of three strange pursuers. Luckily, he meets Iris (Margot Ringard Oldra), who is the same age, and who takes him in and wants to help him find his way back home…
Sci-fi technology with chicken coop
The future world in which Arco lives consists of individual platforms high above the clouds, which act as self-sufficient ecosystems for one family each. It is only mentioned in passing that it is actually the earth, but whose surface is almost completely under water. Humanity has therefore retreated to lofty heights. On the Arco family platform, futuristic technologies meet a rural aesthetic: floating sleeping capsules exist alongside crops, chicken coops and other farm animals in a green refuge.
This visual combination of high-tech and nature gives the world an organic, tangible character. Arco is a curious but also impatient child. His decision to travel back in time alone is an expression of a deep longing for closeness and family security. After all, he really wants to accompany his family and not be left home alone again. The actual consequences of his unauthorized excursion only unfold at the end of the film as an emotional finale.
It is unusual but exciting that in “Arco” both time levels lie clearly in the future – because even in the year 2075 there are already spectacular sci-fi technologies.
Iris' everyday life, set in the year 2075, takes up a large part of the film. Her parents work far away and only take part in family life as holograms. Meanwhile, Iris and her younger brother are looked after by the loving household robot Miki, who is much more than just a functional machine. He plays with the children, reads to them, comforts them and is emotionally present while the parents remain physically absent. Arco and Iris, whose name combination means “rainbow” in Spanish, are united by their longing for a more intensive exchange with their parents.
Director Ugo Bienvenu, who previously made the miniseries “Marvel's Ant-Man” as well as numerous music videos and short films, takes his young heroes seriously and portrays them in a differentiated and age-appropriate manner. He is clearly based on the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Lovingly characterized child protagonists, green worlds at lofty heights, detailed background animations and the clear aim of conveying the beauty of nature and emphasizing its need for protection reveal clear references to “The Castle in the Sky” or “Ponyo”.
Color explosion with shades of gray
In the year 2075, the world is constantly plagued by forest fires and storms. While transparent protective domes over the settlements protect people and their houses, nature suffers massively from the extreme weather conditions. The three pursuers are also not subordinated to a one-dimensional good-evil scheme. In the tradition of Studio Ghibli, they are ambivalent characters whose motivations only become clear over time. The film thus avoids moral simplifications and leaves room for shades of gray. Dystopian features of a world on the verge of destruction resonate without the very colorful film losing its child-friendly, optimistic tone.
The backgrounds inspire with their wealth of detail and always offer something new to discover, especially in the depiction of flora and fauna. The character animations, on the other hand, are deliberately reduced and kept minimalistic. The chosen contrast leads to an idiosyncratic but at the same time unmistakable visual style. Clever ideas within the coherently developed worlds of the future always inspire. In 2075 there will already be a completely new teaching concept in which the children themselves become part of the historical or scientific teaching material in thematic rooms. Instead of action and high tempo, “Arco” focuses on the loving drawings of children and their fascinating worlds. It is their bond of friendship that gives the film its emotional depth and the bittersweet endings a special weight.
Conclusion: “Arco” tells the story of two children in colorful, original future settings who long for their parents and take their fate into their own hands. The sensitive time travel story about the urge to discover and friendship inspires children and adults alike and conveys environmental awareness and family solidarity in a warm-hearted way.
We saw “Arco” at the French Film Festival in Leipzig.