Arco – Review
The past decade has seen major changes to the animated feature landscape. Whilst blockbuster family animation from the likes of Disney, Pixar, Netflix and Sony steadfastly deliver what audiences have expected for eons, a distinct branch of animation has gradually emerged that delivers an alternate to the expected. Arco finds itself among this school of high-achieving non-Hollywood independent films that have been seeping into cinemas and giving audiences something different. Made for a fraction of the cost of their American counterparts, these films demonstrate an artistry and elegance that stands distinct on their own terms resisting the idea that animation is made just for kids craving novelty popcorn buckets and their accompanying adults appreciating the in-jokes.
“Franime” is a term that has been used to describe these films, but as Arco begins it quickly cuts its own path stylistically, throwing the audience into the story of a naive young boy, living in the far future with his parents and sister. Situated high above the clouds in an artificial platform city where a peaceful life of fresh air and fresh food are in abundance and life seems convenient and simple. The technology has created a magical world where capitalism seems to have vanished and nature is respected. We are introduced to Arco’s family as they return from travelling through time in their funky flying disco capes, multicoloured cloaks which allow for time travel using the light spectrum and create rainbows as they do. Their journeys are used to travel to pre-history to retrieve plants and trees to add to their garden. Young Arco is fed up of not being able to fly so, in the dead of night, he takes his sisters cloak and leaps from his platform home on an uncontrollable journey, landing with a thump in the near future.
The fresh air of the far future has been replaced with an air of cynicism as we arrive in the near future. Unlike the garden of Eden high rise homes in the year 2932, the near future of 2075 is a world undergoing ecological collapse, with protective bubbles protecting this nostalgic, picket fence version of tomorrow from environmental catastrophes that take place around us. The idea that we still have our head in the sand about our environment in the future and have placed convenience above all else is one that resonates.
We see this dystopia through the eyes of Iris, who lives with her baby brother, robot Mikki and who’s parents are present through holograms to join in with mealtimes and bedtime routines. She could have been 16 as much as she was supposed to be 8, without a reasonable adult presence it feels though the film is placing a large amount maturity on the young central character have an attitude shaped by her environment and the horrors that surround her. Arco, from a future where all his needs are met comes from a utopian world where he can be an impulsive child. Where Arco is naive in a smart world, xx is smart in a naive world.
Arcos arrival sets the rebellious xx into action and the pair on a journey to help Arco return home. Along the way they are pursued by Doug, Stewie and Frankie, a trio of comic relief conspiracy theorists to whom the young time travellers arrival would no doubt answer a lot of their questions. The siblings are full of exaggeration and mania, desperate for answers but short of cognitive power. Their part evolves through the film taking them beyond the three stooges they are introduced as. This is something of a pattern for the entire film, you believe you are watching something humble and predictable, however in time the film subverts your expectations and at times, takes your breath away. it balances comedy with reflective introspection and stillness with thrilling action. It also offers a unique take on the time travel genre and deals with consequence in a way which both devastates and uplifts simultaneously. It is a film that can certainly be enjoyed by children, but one which deals with real issues.
Though there have been major changes to the animated feature landscape in recent years, Hollywood still dominates and the common perception of animated features remains a safe, predictable family medium. There’s nothing wrong with family films, but if we are to get to a future utopia where animation is recognised on an equal footing to live action, films like Arco will get us there.
Arco lands in UK cinema 20 March 2026