TIFF Review: ‘ARCO’ is a Stunning, Albeit Predictable, Animated Adventure

NEON is now dipping its toes into the world of animation with Ugo Bienvenu’s ARCO, whose English-language dub (sadly, how the film will be released in North America) had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. And while it may not reinvent the wheel in its storytelling, the movie is a frequently jaw-dropping adventure that may leave you in a puddle of tears as its striking animation instills hope in the audience that this desolate world can indeed get better if they choose to have some form of optimism themselves. It is a familiar theme, yes, but one so admirably treated that it’s not hard to be moved by what is displayed in this short but effective animated offering.

Bienvenu discusses the effects of climate change in the (relatively) near future, as he imagines rainbows being time travellers on a mission to uncover truths about how humanity has essentially collapsed Earth and made it unhabitable. That alone is dazzling enough, and does harken to some of the more complex anime you’d see from Hayao Miyazaki and the Studio Ghibli crowd (Princess Mononoke? Anyone?). However, Bienvenu goes one step further in making his social commentary the forefront of the story. It’s difficult to ignore it, either through its arresting, show-stopping visuals or in its heartfelt relationship between its titular character (voiced by Oscar Tresanini in the original language version) and Iris (Margot Ringard Oldra).

Arco is a rainbow who is so fascinated by time travel and can’t wait to transport himself through the past that he accidentally travels to the year 2072, where he loses his powers. This is where he meets Iris, who agrees to help him regain his strength and travel back to his time period. In Iris’ timeline, most humans have already left Earth (her parents, voiced by Alma Jorodowsky and Swann Arlaud, communicate with her through holographic means), and those who are still here live in domes because the weather is far too extreme, making the planet almost inhospitable. Robots serve humans, which we understand, and they have relied on them for a long time. In attempting to regain his rainbow powers and travel back to the future, Arco begins to learn about why this planet is worth saving, and, no matter how disastrous it feels, the humans who are living in the past are worth fighting for.

Many could be startled by the lack of a proper resolution in Bienvenu’s fleeting 82-minute movie, but this falls very much in line with how Miyazaki stages his productions. Plot threads are usually left hanging, and his films frequently end with a question instead of an active conclusion. ARCO ends the same way, and it’s interesting to see how much of it is taken from the Miyazaki (or Ghibli) playbook. I, on the other hand, mainly was unimpressed by its pedestrian story and telegraphed character beats, notably one involving a side plot where Arco is hunted by a trio of bumbling brothers, Dougie (Vincent Macaigne), Stewie (Louis Garrel) and Frankie (William Lebghil), that wants to add a bit of comedic texture to the movie but ends up falling pitifully flat on its face.

The relationship between Arco and Iris is also something you’ve seen before. It’s too telegraphed for the alchemy between the characters to work as it should. And if you’ve seen any Ghibli movie, chances are you won’t be impressed by how Bienvenu rehashes the same beats without much originality. Even the dramatic crux, which occurs during the climax, reeks of familiarity. It makes some of its dramatic power much less impactful than if Bienvenu and co-writer Félix de Givry took a new spin at such material and freshened up the structure just a smidge. Still, the animation on display in ARCO cannot be overstated.

There were times when I stopped listening to the dialogue and soaked in the beautiful animation on display, and it was enough to bring tears to my eyes. The level of detail is simply astonishing, and each hand-drawn image imbues so much raw meaning that it’s hard to dismiss the picture entirely. Through those images, Bienvenu poses many pertinent questions about humanity’s place in a world that is devouring itself as nature reclaiming its rights and ravaging all that remains of the planet. Shots where we linger on the devastation, as the children are caught in the middle of the wreckage, hit real close to home. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t feel like a warning or pure alarmism. Instead, it feels like Bienvenu is opening himself up and revealing his scariest, most pressing thoughts, while illustrating them for the world to see how he feels about a planet in decay and a world carrying on while ignoring one of our most pressing issues that’s bound to devastate the near future.

As a result, ARCO may be a bit too intense for kids, especially in its back half. Yet, the sheer imagination and artistry of the picture are so strong that it could potentially resonate with all ages, even if the climax is quite emotionally disturbing. Older children may enjoy its whimsical, almost free-flowing nature, and the sheer heart at the center of the production, culminating in an incredibly hopeful note that encourages its audience to keep carrying on, as this life – and this planet – is worth saving. Because if we don’t step up, who will?

SCORE: ★★★