Arco

Arco is an at times delirious science fiction animated film from France. There are echoes of Valerian, and of the works of Studio Ghibli. Concerning the misadventure of a ten year old boy who travels back in time, the film at first seems to be relying on cliches and tropes older than the hills. By the time the credits roll, it may surprise the viewer by how emotionally resonant it becomes through sheer force of will and earned interest.

The main character, after whom the film is titled, is from the year 2932. He lives in a world set among the clouds, in a civilization planted there like water basins at the feet of majestic tropical trees. Here, with his mother, father and sister, he dreams of flying on rainbow waves to the distant past. Like any self-respecting child of his age, he is obsessed with dinosaurs. The problem here is that time travel is limited to those twelve years or older. One night, he steals a time jewel and rainbow cape from his family and sets off to see dinosaurs. Instead, he winds up in the year 2075.

There, he meets Iris, a young girl who has been left alone by her parents, under the care of Mikki, a robot. Into this mix are added three conspiracy theorists, Dougie, Stewie and Frankie. They know not what Arco is, but they want proof of the weird things they see going on. Much of the humor in the film comes from these three, who begin as what appear to be antagonists. Yet, it is the robot threat that is real, and what they represent.

This is a film about belonging, and about separation. Mikki has a malfunction when it cannot place Arco within the world data files, and this leads eventually to a chase, where new dimensions of character are revealed. The climax is a straight tear jerker of the best sort, and feels earned in a way many modern animated films fail. The adults may set restrictions but they are not cruel. They are simply not listening to the children, who in turn are not giving adults the respect their experience deserves. It is, in this sense, also about cycles of learning and growth.

Arco, as animation, does this through both visuals and voice acting. The very concept of time travel gets one thinking about the passage of time, while the rainbow effect is at first a flourish that seems intended to be noisy. Instead, it becomes something else. This is because rainbows represent hope, unity and starting over. Ultimately, these are some of the lessons learned by Arco, Iris and the adults. The flying and action sequences, although perhaps a bit stretched out, are visual triumphs of shading in which nothing is confused because of the clarity of direction.

In this, Arco truly does go for a Ghibli style in character design and drafting, though it is nowhere near as fluid, and most of the charm comes from the script. The voice acting is functional, though Will Ferrell, Flea and Andy Samberg stand out as the conspiracy theorists. Jake Gyllenhaal and America Ferrera also get a scene to shine, as Arco’s parents.

The film does take a while to get where it is going, and seems very slight for too long, though the setup is mostly worth the payoff. This is a film that could have used a little more exploration of the side characters, and the worlds they inhabit, in order to enrich the central experiences of the two kids. However, what remains is a mostly charming, worthy work that does not look out of place among the better animated offerings of the decade. As science fiction, it lacks only because little to none of the principals are explained, though as fantasy, and family film, it works extremely well.