‘Arco’ Review: Sci-Fi Animated Flick About a Time-Traveling Rainbow-Rider From the Future Endears With Solarpunk Core and Ghibli Vibes
When an animation filmmaker crafts an environment-wary, thematically heavy feature, they’re often compared to Hayao Miyazaki. He’s the wizard of fantastical animated worlds, after all. Yet these days, filmmakers inspired by his work seem to forget the simplistic solarpunk element that contributes to the longevity of his movies. The tone of Arco, the directorial debut of French illustrator Ugo Bienvenu, about a boy who travels through time by making rainbows, clearly draws inspiration from Miyazaki's Ponyo and Princess Mononoke, combining whimsy and optimism in areas other filmmakers overlook. Even though there are some narrative hiccups, Arco is a charming and sincere sci-fi family film that makes for a noteworthy calling card for Bienvenu as a filmmaker.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of NEON
MPA Rating: PG (action/peril, mild thematic elements and a brief injury image.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 28 Minutes
Language: English, French
Production Companies: Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma
Distributor: NEON
Director: Ugo Bienvenu
Writers: Ugo Bienvenu, Félix de Givry
Cast: Romy Fay, Juliano Valdi, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Mark Ruffalo, Andy Samberg
U.S Release Date: November 14, 2025
The year is 2932. People live in wind-powered, environmentally friendly homes located miles above the ground and have the ability to travel through time by creating rainbows. Ten-year-old Arco (Juliano Valdi) is eager to join his parents (America Ferrera and Roeg Sutherland) and sister Ada (Zoya Bogomolova) as a time-traveling family to see the dinosaurs. He's too young to fly, though, since he can't get his own rainbow-colored jumpsuit until he turns 12. However, he rebels, stealing Ada's jumpsuit, and goes soaring through the air, only to crash-land in the year 2075.
Arco is found unconscious in the woods by Iris (Romy Fay), a lonely girl whose parents (Mark Ruffalo and Natalie Portman) prioritize their jobs over her and her baby brother. They also have a nannybot named Mikki. She takes Arco home so Mikki can tend to his wounds. Arco awakens, and the two become instant friends. Iris and Arco make a commitment to help him return to his timeline. However, they must avoid unexpected environmental hazards that surround them and the enigmatic triplets Dougie (Will Ferrell), Stewie (Andy Samberg), and Frankie (Flea), who don neon rainbow-colored glasses and are on a mission to prove rainbow riders are real.
Arco captures the Miyazaki-esque blend of childhood whimsy and empathetic environmentalist themes
Arco' Courtesy of Neon
Ugo Bienvenu has a long career of animated work including shorts, a few music videos, and he co-directed an underrated comic book-style Ant-Man short miniseries for Disney XD. The leap with Arco is a magnificent display of his artistic vision on a large screen. From the vibrant colors infused in his sci-fi futuristic backdrop to the colorful hyperreal detailing of its backgrounds and art direction, Bienvenu's vision is completely engrossing. I couldn't help but write “lush” all over my notepad, as that's the best way to describe the illustrative look and tonal warmth it evokes.
The futuristic feats of distant suburbia – created by Bienvenu, his artists, and his designers – are tangible, for better or worse. There’s an outpouring of various ideas revolving around the future humanity is reaching towards in light of our current landscape. Bienvenu and co-writer Félix De Givry unravel the future where Iris resides. 2075 is a world ravaged by climate disasters and overreliance on AI systems to the point of taking jobs from teachers. Mikki’s speech pattern is a blend of her parents', allowing her to feel a comfortable attachment to the nannybot. What we fear today is what future children will be accustomed to and converse about very nonchalantly. The level of detail in Bienvenu's realization of this future is both eerie and inventive.
What truly gives Arco a breath of life is its anti-cynical approach towards its climate backdrop, imbuing a childlike whimsy and wonder in the friendship between Arco and Iris. The writing harkens back to those buddy family pictures where kids find a kinship. Though on the same mission, they’re lonely and seeking solace and warmth within each other. That’s not to say Iris herself is entirely lonely, as before Arco’s kaleidoscopic arrival, she had a friend in a ginger-haired boy named Clifford (Wyatt Danieluk). Most of her relationship with Arco is reminiscent of Ponyo, especially their adorable first-crush romance.
The strong bond between them extends to the solarpunk core of it all, bellowing the same hopeful message that Meet the Robinsons had. Through love and an impactful encounter with an unsuspecting person in the future, you get that jolt of being the change you want to see. However, the road towards that message is paved with rocky storytelling beats.
Arco story is sometimes hindered by an overabundance of characters
Arco' Courtesy of Neon
Arco is very ambitious, but its 88-minute runtime prevents it from realizing all its ideas. Givry and Bienvenu cram in far too many arcs for far too many characters into an already short runtime. By its second half, Arco is overstuffed with characters, and its escalation to chaos throws them out of the frying pan and into the fire... literally. The film pivots into an action mindset during an environmental fire set piece. Meanwhile, supporting characters like the slapstick-oriented Yellow Submarine-styled triplets, the Wild Robot-coded "robo-parent who stepped up,” and even third-wheeled Clifford hog the spotlight. It hinders the urgency of Arco and Iris' mission. Furthermore, it’s second act lingers in its chaotic perilous environment that it disrupts the pacing. Again, 88-minutes.
Final Statement
Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco is a sincere and sweet fable that captures the wonders and complexity of childhood, beaming with visually stunning artwork and an earnest Miyazaki-influenced tone.
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