Arco

While 2D animation has tragically lost a lot of its mainstream coverage due to most of the high profile companies who helped pioneer the artform choosing to specifically focus on 3D animation, it thankfully hasn’t diluted the passion and love that audiences who do appreciate art feel for it, and that is made clear with how well 2D as well as other unique styles do in the awards circuit. These voting bodies don’t always speak for a common majority, but their commitment to appreciating and acknowledging all forms of animation from across the globe gives movies that might not have strong studio backing, the chance to be in centre stage, and one of the latest example of this is Arco, a 2025 French 2D animated movie that tells the story of a boy from the future who can time travel through rainbows, as it premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and then went on to be nominated for Best Animated Feature at several awards circuits like Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes and the Oscars, all of whom agreed it was a top notch example.

In the distant future of 2932, humanity lives in the clouds after elevated water levels forced them off-ground and have the ability to travel through time with rainbow flight suits. While a young boy named Arco (voiced by Juliano Krue Valdi) isn’t allowed to accompany his family on a time-hopping adventure due to being underaged, he rashly steals one of their cloaks and tries to travel by himself, ending up in the year 2075 where humanity allows robots to perform most essential jobs and extreme weather conditions are very common, with most homes and infrastructure being protected with bubble-like barriers. Unable to return home after losing a crystal needed to interact with the rainbows, Arco meets a young girl named Iris (voiced by Romy Fay), who agrees to help him get home as she barely sees her parents as they are constantly away for work and is looked after by her robot caretaker, Mikki (voiced by both Mark Ruffalo and Natalie Portman). As they bond over learning about each other’s time period, they find themselves being stalked by three brothers named Dougie, Stewie and Frankie (voiced by Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg and Flea) who believe in time travelers and want Arco to give them answers, and with the authorities also getting roped in, more and more hurdles get put in place that could prevent Arco from ever getting home.

Being nominated for Best Animated Feature at several film festivals and award shows as well as being very highly rated by most critics, Arco is a charming, low-key and very nicely animated feature that soars to effective heights thanks to a very appealing concept, likeable leads and extremely strong animation, even if the underbaked script, characters and plot make the landing not as graceful as it could’ve been.

Being a French production led by first-time feature-film director, Ugo Bienvenu, and distributed internationally with the help of Neon, Arco is a sci-fi adventure that started off as a self-funded passion project led by Bienvenu and his screenwriting partner, Félix de Givry, and the storyboards and eventual animatic created from this three-year-long conception process were so effective at convincing investors to back the film, that they completed production in under a year. Knowing Arco was originally envisioned through sketches rather than a script is clearly felt when watching the movie, as it is a stunningly crafted and enriching film that feels rather than states, allowing its atmosphere, choice spouts of worldbuilding, and characters with easy-to-comprehend motivations, to create an identity that’s very relaxing and peaceful, which is further pushed by a very pleasant and unaggressive color palette and aesthetic that feels Ghibli-esque in nature, a chill ambience that makes this science fiction story very down-to-earth, and serene yet consistent pacing.

However, a majority of the film’s concept being image-based can be a double-edge sword, as while very likeable, Arco also feels underwritten thanks to a story that has a good outline, but not much to fill it up with, which leads to a slight feeling of emptiness throughout. The idea of a child travelling through time with rainbows is such a great image, and the film does contain small doses of worldbuilding as to not make this universe feel completely aimless, but the plot doesn’t have much aside from its core objective nor does it contain any fresh swerves or a prominent moral to dissect (despite things like global warming and the advancement and integration of artificial intelligence into society all being present), and the very low stakes of the story, simple or unexplored problems of the characters, and a very short running time of only 89 mins limits how the story can unfold, what scenes can be presented and even how the characters interact.

While made in the French language, the film was dubbed to reach an international audience, and the English dub received a pretty wide release and had some pretty high-profile people attached, including Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Mark Ruffalo, and Natalie Portman (who also acts as a producer). While their inclusion would’ve assisted in appealing to a western audience, it doesn’t feel like they elevate the story or characters that heavily. Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg, and Red-Hot Chilli Peppers bass player, Flea, as the three brothers tracking Arco are played too heavily for comedy (most of which never really connects) and their random and limp involvement in the story just makes their inclusion more unnecessary. Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo ironically get more screentime as Mikki than as Iris’ parents, and while he plays out the standard role of ‘’clinical yet compassionate robot companion’’, his scenes with Iris are still nice, and America Ferrera, Roeg Sutherland and Zoya Bogomolova as Arco’s family sadly don’t play a prominent role in the film, but are gifted a very nice closing scene to make up for it.

Arco and Iris are the two most important characters in the film, and while their dynamic is sadly not very interesting due to the script and plot direction not giving them much to discuss outside of crucial information relevant to ensuing events, Romy Fay and Juliano Krue Valdi are very adorable as the voices and do work off each other well enough to make for a pleasant duo.

There’s something so refreshing about seeing a 2D animated film on the big screen, and while it’s unfortunate that they don’t always draw in that much box office because they’re run by smaller companies who don’t have the money to launch big advertising campaigns, it doesn’t stop them from looking fantastic and Arco is gorgeously drawn and really capitalizes on what 2D can do best. Since the film focuses more on feelings than technicals, the environments do most of the storytelling and, even if it’s not very thorough, does enough to make each time period feel distinct, with the far future being more streamlined and strangely natural (in spite of the clear advance tech), and the more comprehensive future feeling similar enough to modern day with just enough tweaks to still feel like something out of the ordinary.

The colors are incredibly vibrant, multitoned and smooth thanks to the literal rainbow aesthetic, the line work is flowy and can stretch itself beyond normal means in some choice moments (mainly during the time travel sequences), but still feels very solid and structured, the background are outstanding, picturesque and create such an atmosphere whilst containing a lot of intricate detail as well, and the character models look very striking and unique which helps the film stand apart from others with similar artistry and style. The mouth movements are a little distracting as, when combined with the very fast-paced English voice acting, they don’t synch up very well nor do they offer much in terms of expression or movement, but this is a minor problem in a sea of praises.

Arco didn’t take home Best Animated Feature at the Oscars (KPOP Demon Hunters was never going to be beaten), but its nomination was enough to get people to notice it, and while it might never be a huge success or develop a cult following, the push to see more different art styles from different perspectives and countries will mean animation of this type will never be forgotten and Arco has just joined the roster. While the story and characters aren’t fleshed out enough which keeps this phenomenal concept from its true potential, the stunning animation, likeable leads, and enough of a connectable atmosphere and vibe, are good enough reasons to make it a worthwhile watch. Maybe not glowing in all seven shades of a rainbow but manages to shine all the same.