Arco (2025) [Review]: A luminous, tender sci-fi fable that reimagines time travel’s moral mirror

Arco flips the usual time-travel script. Instead of racing to fix a ruined tomorrow, Ugo Bienvenu’s film proposes that the present itself threatens a better future — and that small, human connections might be the remedy. A boy from 900 years ahead accidentally slips back to 2075 and meets Iris, a lonely pre-teen whose life in a near-future suburb reveals both comforts and blind spots. Their instant bond launches a quietly epic, E.T.-tinged quest to send Arco home and, in the process, to confront what we risk losing.

Performances & Characters

Young leads and a strong voice cast anchor the emotional core

Margot Ringard Oldra and Oscar Tresanini (as Arco and Iris) form the film’s poignant center: their chemistry feels effortless, mixing childlike wonder with weary longing. The supporting English-language ensemble — including Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo and Will Ferrell, plus surprising turns from Flea and Andy Samberg — adds both warmth and comic relief without ever overwhelming the story. These vocal performances deepen Bienvenu’s hand-drawn figures, giving them real emotional weight.

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Direction & Screenplay

Bienvenu and Félix de Givry craft a humane, gracefully paced fable

Bienvenu (co-writer with Félix de Givry) builds a screenplay that favors feeling over exhaustive explanation. The narrative trusts emotional shorthand — the ache of being out of time, the need for belonging — and uses it to propel scenes that balance whimsy and melancholy. Structurally, the film nods to Miyazaki’s sense of wonder and Spielberg’s tender family adventures, yet it keeps a distinct philosophical heart: the idea that hope is active, not passive.

Visuals & Sound Design

Gorgeous 2D animation and a soaring score make the future tangible

Visually, Arco is a standout: hand-drawn animation and inventive production design create two futures that feel lived-in — one fantastical, cloud-borne utopia and one eerily familiar near-future with AR headsets, nanny bots, and glass-domed backyards. Arnaud Toulon’s music complements the imagery beautifully, swelling into poignant orchestral moments and receding for intimate breaths. The film’s restrained soundscape allows emotional beats to resonate without manipulation.

Themes & Tonal Balance

Utopian hope, climate caution, and the smallness of human courage

Rather than preaching, Arco invites reflection. The film contrasts a distant, cloud-dwelling idyll (a response to past catastrophe) with a nearer future where comfort can breed complacency. Bienvenu avoids dystopian spectacle; instead, he asks whether the tiny acts of compassion and curiosity — the friendship between two kids — might alter the arc of history. The result is simultaneously optimistic and bittersweet, a moral fable that values nuance over easy answers.

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Verdict

A beautifully told animated plea for tenderness and responsibility

Arco is among the year’s most memorable animated films: beautifully drawn, emotionally grounded, and intellectually curious. Its pacing occasionally relies on viewers’ willingness to accept cinematic shorthand, and some beats could use deeper development, but these are small quibbles against a film that truly sings when it trusts its heart. For audiences craving original sci-fi that favors empathy over spectacle, Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco is a radiant, hopeful work — and a reminder that protecting the future may begin with how we treat one another today.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)