Produced by Natalie Portman, the incisive and wondrous first feature from Ugo Bienvenu follows two children from different eras affected by climate catastrophes.
40 years from now, in 2075, extreme climate events will have forced humanity to live, at least partially, inside protective domes. Most jobs will have been outsourced to robots, everything from road work to the police. And even professions where the human touch was once thought essential, like teaching and childcare, will then be performed by humanoid machines. At least that’s how French director Ugo Bienvenu envisions it in his debut feature “Arco,” which is currently nominated for the best animated feature Oscar.
Despite such gloomy forecast, “Arco,” an incisive and wondrous sci-fi adventure about two children from two different periods, is ultimately hopeful about humankind’s prospects. Bienvenu’s hand-drawn characters appear halfway between the gritty realism one expects from mature graphic novels or comics and the cartoonish look of certain anime. The gorgeous, detailed backgrounds are one strong giveaway of Hayao Miyazaki’s marked influence on the French animator and illustrator. And that’s because both timelines in “Arco” unfold in environments were nature is prominent.
The version of Earth that 10-year-old Arco (Juliano Krue Valdi) lives in features homes on platforms raised on giant beams. Humans live above the clouds, and they have, seemingly, returned to a more minimalistic lifestyle after a catastrophe. Still, a young kid is a young kid no matter the era, and to fulfill his wish of seeing real dinosaurs, Arco disobeys his parents. He steals a rainbow-colored, flying cape that allows people to time travel and accidentally lands himself in the aforementioned, robot-driven year: 2075.
There, Arco finds an inquisitive ally in Iris (Romy Fay), a girl his age, but with a different experience growing up. While Arco’s parents are physically present in his life, Iris only gets to interact with their holograms since they are away working. Caring for Iris and her infant brother Peter instead is a robot nanny named Mikki (whose voice combines Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo’s voices, since the actors also play Iris’ parents). From here, the film’s plot is simple. Arco must find the crystal he lost when crash landing in order for his colorful cape to work and travel back to his time. But an environmental disaster and a trio of quirky stooges (voiced by Will Ferrell, Flea, and Andy Samberg) will get in the way.
Curiosity for each other’s worlds dominates the relationship between Arco and Iris. She is surprised to learn that in his time, her future, robots like Mikki no longer exist, and he’s jealous that her parents are not around to discipline her. The exchange between these two futures yields a major revelation for the conclusion, but it also puts into perspective the artificiality of the present we are dangerously inching closer to. 2075 feels impersonal. Most adults around Iris’ town wear visors over their eyes, implying their bodies are there but their minds are elsewhere in a virtual setting.
