Arco review: Start the year with a stunning animated sci-fi film

Classic 2D animation may not be as prevalent as it once was, but some of the stuff we’ve gotten over the past few years has been amazing. This includes future classics such as Mars Express and The era of the scavengersAnd now you can add inspired by Moebius Arco To the list. after Which caused a huge stir in the festival circuit last yearthe film will finally hit wider theaters on January 30, so you can see it for yourself.

ArcoThe story is divided into two time periods. In the distant future, humanity lives in cities raised above the ground due to rising sea levels, but they have also developed the ability to travel through time in order to search the past for useful things such as extinct seeds. Time travel has an almost magical feel here; You can do this while flying, powered by colorful suits and special crystals, and the result looks like a rainbow spreading across the sky. But there are also strict rules, as you must be at least 12 years old to fly. The reason becomes clear when a troubled 10-year-old named Arco (Giuliano Cro Valdi) attempts to travel through time using his sister’s equipment and immediately ends up trapped in the past.

This past is still our future, the year 2075, and it is not very different from the present day. People work a lot, try to insulate themselves from the effects of climate change, and their relationship with nature is almost antagonistic. The difference is that new technologies exacerbate many of these issues. Parents are using holograms to appear at home while they work long hours, delegating most child-rearing duties — including education — to robots. When severe storms wreak havoc on the landscape, suburbanites remain safe inside the large, clear domes that cover their homes. Things are bad, but most people seem content to avoid this reality. Arko crashes into this time period and meets a young girl named Iris (Romy Fay) who does her best to bring him home.

ArcoThe film’s influences are evident from the film’s first moments. The characters, technology and architecture are all reminiscent of the work of French comics legend Jean “Moebius” Giraud, especially his work on film. Master timewhile beautifully detailed nature renderings are reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki. but ArcoHans’ relationship with these classics is inspiration, not imitation.

For one thing, for all the complexities inherent in time travel, the story is clear and focused and ends on a note that is at once bittersweet and hopeful, making it accessible as a family film and experience for sci-fi fans. But director Ugo Bienvenu and his team also showed an incredible amount of creativity throughout the film. They don’t just imagine technological progress, they really think about the impact it can have on everyday life. For example, Iris’ parents (Mark Ruffalo and Natalie Portman) are never physically present, instead appearing briefly in the house as holograms. It’s like remote work but for parenting. By the same token, almost every adult in 2075 is wearing some sort of augmented reality glasses that seems like a natural (and terrifying) progression of phone addiction and also allows them to avoid thinking too much about extreme weather events.

Arco It uses its futuristic setting to explore all sorts of modern issues — there’s even a trio of goofy conspiracy theorist brothers (Andy Samberg, Will Ferrell, and Flea) who are convinced Arco is from the future — but without preaching or straying too far from its core story. But more importantly, the sci-fi elements often look great, as during a chase sequence through 3D classrooms that look like everything from a dinosaur-filled swamp to the bottom of the ocean. They also create a world that seems plausible, even when it’s strange.

While the visuals and sci-fi elements are my favorite part Arco It’s how the film not only vividly imagines two very different possible futures, but connects them in a way that brings the entire story full circle. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking, another modern 2D film with the potential to become a classic.