OVERVIEW
In 2075, ten-year-old Iris sees a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall straight out of the sky. He calls himself Arco, a child from the future whose suit lets him time-travel through rainbows, but he has broken the rules and ended up trapped in Iris’ near-future world, an “augmented” reality where nanny bots raise kids, parents appear mostly through holograms, and technology keeps papering over a planet in trouble.
BACKGROUND
Arco premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section, and went on to be the 2025 animated film from the festival that found critical success and ultimately gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. It is the feature debut of Ugo Bienvenu, after years of working on shorts and music videos. With the film, he wished to create an optimistic story that contrasted with the doom and gloom found in today’s climate, believing that stories of a more beautiful world can help make it happen.
THE REVIEW
The director has stated that he was heavily inspired by E.T. and a few Ghibli films, and that is exactly the best way to describe Arco: a futuristic bond between a neglected child and an outsider, colored by many of the Japanese studio’s sensibilities. From its opening moments, with lovely, wondrous piano and strings that feel unmistakably Ghibli-like, and those first beautifully animated, colorful shots, it offers a transporting journey.
Throughout the film, I was reminded of films like The Iron Giant and the recent Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew, probably due to their shared inspiration. It hits familiar beats in its central relationship between the main girl, Iris, and the titular character, but it never feels played out, indistinct, or reductive. We buy into them because of how earnestly the characters behave. You watch their bond grow as Iris tries to help Arco return to his family, up to the point where she doesn’t want him to leave, and neither do we.
The supporting characters are similarly enduring, including a trio you assume will exist solely as comic relief until one of them nearly makes you shed a tear. Iris’ school friend also gets a few good moments, and her nanny robot earns some laughs too.
Its creative rainbow-planet design and costumes are never Ghibli-level ambitious, but they do have a clear identity. The environmental message at the center of the story lands with less impact as it goes on, becoming too direct and blunt, especially in the climax, where the film trades its gentler charm for a little too much spectacle. Still, it closes on a good twist and a heartwarming final sequence that drives the director’s intent home.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Arco is a lovely, Ghibli- and Amblin-inspired film that earns its Academy Award nomination. Although it’s more of a gentle charmer than a big statement, and unlikely to threaten K-Pop Demon Hunters, the category’s obvious frontrunner at the 98th Academy Awards, it will still warm your heart with its honest central relationship and gorgeous animation.