Dir: Hugo Bienvenu | with the voices of Alma Jodorowsky, Swann Arlaud, Margot Ringard Oldra, Oscar Tresanini, Vincent Macaigne, Louis Garrel, William Lebghil, Oxmo Puccini | Animation 82’
Bursting with colour and lively images this French animated film is set fifty years into the future, in 2075, where electricity bills are a thing of the past. Each house generates its own energy.
But loneliness still exists in this utopia. Iris, a lonely ten-year-old is wandering through the woods one day when she sees a mysterious boy in a rainbow cape fall out of the sky. He’s Arco, a time-traveller who plummets into her world from his own future where crossing oceans of time is entirely possible, although not recommended for kids. Iris takes Arco under her wing and helps him recover from a traumatic journey and return to his origins where humans have moved to the sky to live in large capsules set amongst the tress.
Nuclear families still exist over four billion years into the future. And Arco, who lives with his parents in a stylish glass bubble, defies his father and he flies into trouble. There’s a touch of ‘beam me up Scottie’ about this delightful yet complex sci-fi anime that works on two levels appealing to kids and the adults alike rather like the Studio Ghibli fare.
Arco has a magical connection with nature and especially birds who roost on his arms and he communicates with them by chirping, just like they do with each other. But there not everything in this Garden of Eden is lovely. The Devil lurks amongst the bushes in the shape of three baddies in brightly coloured suits. They are desperate to find Arco and steal the special gemstone that gives him the power of time-travel. So a classic race against time drives the narrative forward in this easy-on-the eye film with its lush visual allure. @MeredithTaylor
ARCO WON THE TOP PRIZE at ANNECY FILM FESTIVAL 2025