You know, you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain. It’s inevitable. And a young boy learns that lesson the hard way in Arco, the newly released animated tale that’s winning hearts and recognition during the awards season.
In a peaceful future, a happy family returns home on a journey from the far past in order to retrieve an extinct fern to re-populate — that is, the family outing included everyone except the youngest child — Arco (voiced by Juliano Krue Valdi) — because by law, no one under 12 years old may legally time travel. Jealous and simply wanting to see dinosaurs up close and personal, he eventually sneaks out of the house and without knowing how to control the McGuffin device, he’s accidentally transported to a strange new world without telling anyone… or realizing how exactly to return home.
Awakening in 2075, this is no Jurassic World, but it is 859 years in the past. Befriending young Iris (Romy Fay), both kids bond over their shared feelings of isolation, rebellion and abandonment. But Arco doesn’t fully realize the dangers of his situation until he learns he’s being hunted down, and his transportation device gets damaged, leaving him stuck at the moment, out of time and out of luck.
“All I wanted to do was to see the dinosaurs…”
Multi-hyphenate filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu has created an original story filled with bright pastels and a unique animation style that feels inspired by Hayao Miyazaki. It’s an incredible sci-fi world where robots have replaced humans as babysitters, homemakers, teachers, road crews and law enforcement, among other positions. In a way, its overall storyline feels similar to one of my all-time favorite TV shows that I’m currently re-watching, Quantum Leap (1989): The main character feels helpless while being stuck in the past, trying to find a way home, evoking a sincerity within its beautiful storytelling while trying to do the right thing… at the end of the day.
Through his actions, Arco, the character, is a selfish child who must learn responsibility the hard way, regardless of his curiosity. In the end, Arco, the film, promotes positive values, a positive message and a hopeful attitude toward the future, which unfortunately feels all too rare these days. Maybe that’s because this movie was originally created and released in France. The version I watched was dubbed with celebrity voices (Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg and Flea!?!), who all provide workman-like performances that never feel over the top. They’re all good, not great, even if they are kinda recognizable.
“I told you that little girl was weird…”
After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival and winning awards at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, as well at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Arco is now making waves in America. Will this foreign film actually follow last year’s surprising underdog, Flow, with an upset win at the Oscars? That fate is yet to be decided, but it’s absolutely possible, should this animated film receive more attention throughout the year.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed watching Arco. There’s a good chance you will too. Don’t wait before it’s too late and you’ll need to go back in time, so you didn’t miss seeing it the first time!
“No one should know the future. Ever.”