'Arco' (2025)

Set in two different future Earths, ‘Arco’ follows the titular 10-year-old boy in the year 2932, as he enjoys life with his family. Inhabiting tree houses in the clouds, the family share an idyllic life in self-sustaining homesteads and enjoy rainbow coloured suits that allow them to travel through time. Things take a turn however, when Arco decides to take his sister’s rainbow suit to embark on a journey by himself, travelling to 2075 where he meets Iris and learns of the time before humans were displaced to live amongst the clouds.

First introducing us to the distant future, Arco finds himself limited by the rule that disallows anyone below the age of 12 to journey through time. Driven by curiosity and a thirst for adventure, the young boy stumbles and falls as he eventually manages to take off and journey through time.

Appearing as a magical rainbow, now in the year 2075, Iris witnesses Arco shoot through the sky with the rainbow disappearing somewhere in the woods. Seeing that Arco has crash-landed, she takes him home to be tended to by her live-in robot Mikki. Together, the two hatch a plan to help Arco return to his time, made more difficult with constant extreme weather events and wildfires.

Telling a story set in the future that involves severe catastrophic events may at first sound disheartening and a slog to sit through, but not in this case. Combining mesmerising imagery, vibrant palettes and beautifully hand-drawn scenery, the film paints a beautiful and hopeful future. Even though Iris has inherited a future where everyday life consists of protective domes around private residences to shield Earth’s inhabitants from the severe weather, the little girl exudes a curious and optimistic outlook, ready for a change in favour of humanity’s chances of survival.

A fantastically fun adventure to go on, the future presented in the year 2075 showcases the aforementioned protective domes and robot-filled streets. Ranging from taking care of babysitting and household management, the robots are tasked with taking care of children, while one or both parents are away for long stretches of time, working ‘in the city’ for weeks at a time. Also teaching children in schools and taking on police officer duties, the robots seem an inescapable addition to our future lives, - not entirely a far cry from our upward trajectory of becoming increasingly inseparable from everyday tech.

Beyond musings on what the future may look like, ‘Arco’ is anchored by very insightful worries that Iris and Arco share. Having found each other, they seek help and support in one another. With Arco trying to get home, it becomes increasingly apparent that Iris too is looking for a change, perhaps a way out of her current life. Sharing more than amicable feelings, the two eventually are forced to say goodbye, revealing how close they had become in the span of a few days.

Raising a few more philosophically dense issues, Arco does briefly mention that no one should know their own future, delivering it as a warning when Iris questions him about the time to come. Without being too dramatic however, the kids do discuss a few practical, everyday issues and Arco shares with Iris the way they live – their self-sustaining homes in the sky. The film closes on Iris through the years, growing up, designing and developing what is sure to be a blueprint for the types of homes Arco and his family will one day inhabit.

Delivering heart-wrenching moments throughout, Iris and Arco run from home once her parents decide the authorities have to be called, as Arco is undocumented. Encountering a wildfire, the two are saved by Mikki, who eventually powers down due to the damage he sustains. Finding their way out of the cave Mikki had stowed them away in, the two witness multiple rainbows criss-crossing the sky. Arco’s parents, visibly aged by their years long search finally find him and reconnect. Tearfully Iris says goodbye, and Arco returns to his time.

An overwhelming warning about climate change with a sufficiently positive outlook, ‘Arco’ delivers everything one could want from an animated science fiction feature. Beautiful and inspiring, the film invites us to appreciate what the future may hold whilst also being an absolute joy to watch.

Score: 4/4