I went into Netflix’s Arco without much context, and I was surprised to see how inspired this world and animation style reminded me of many Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, and Makoto Shinkai works. Ugo Bienvenu’s animated, coming-of-age adventure grabbed my attention immediately, and made me think Miyazaki submitted this film for TIFF 2025. The English voice cast is stacked with amazing talent. Natalie Portman produces the film and stars in it, alongside Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Mark Ruffalo, and Andy Samberg.
The film’s premise is that rainbows are actually time travellers from our future. Here, time travel isn’t simply an adventure—it is employed to uncover lost truths about our planet and how human beings have endangered our environment. That doesn’t mean it is not exciting, though, especially for Arco, a 10-year-old boy who can’t wait to travel through time, even though travel is restricted to those 12 and up.
“Arco’s abstract coming-of-age matched the storytelling style and pacing of a Miyazaki film flawlessly.”
Arco pays for his impatience immediately when he is stranded in the year 2075, and must be rescued by Iris, a girl his own age. As the bond between them deepens, he finds out more about Iris’ era—where humans must live in domes that protect them from the extreme weather and rely very heavily on androids. But despite the precautions Iris’ people have taken, climate events can still present a danger, with one looming on the horizon—and Arco still needs very particular conditions to attempt a return home.
Arco’s abstract coming-of-age matched the storytelling style and pacing of a Miyazaki film flawlessly. The Iron Giant was another inspiration this movie looked to take from as well—especially on certain emotional beats with the robot named Mickey. When Arco defies his parents’ rules and goes off into the past, this made me think about Spirited Away or The Boy and the Heron where the protagonist leaves their parents to discover themselves. The Earth and natural disasters commentary reminded me of Shinkai’s films like Weathering With You.
The 2D hand-drawn animation style was beautiful to see on the big screen. While the character designs were plain, despite the colourful clothes, the hand-drawn environment art was so intricate. It was like watching a classical European art colouring book come to life. The line artwork accenting the general shapes of trees and bushes were evidently meticulous. The silhouette art during the wildfire scene was also a standout landscape shot I appreciated to see as well. These shots proved Bienvenu understands classic cinematic animated moments.
More on environment art design, Arco is set in a world where present time humans live in these communities and houses in the sky—resembling tree branches. This had to be a reference to Castle In The Sky. Another Miyazaki staple is how the protagonist always has a companion, and striking side characters/antagonists who are uniquely designed.
The three guys from the past in 2075 were designed with red, blue, and yellow suits to distinguish them from each other. At first glance, I thought they were sort of Power Rangers-inspired. But then, I realized that they each represented the three primary colours—which connected to the rainbow colours that Arco and the other time travellers used. There were numerous deeper meanings baked into many things in this movie.
Arco’s overarching themes resonated with me because it did not villainize technology, but that humans in this world used technology to help their everyday lives. I was sketchy about the robots taking over almost every essential job like teachers and police officers, but Mickey as the butler for Iris and her siblings’ parents added a level of humanity I did not expect. Mickey has a monologue in the third act that made me tear up, along with some visuals to compliment what it was saying.
“Arco’s overarching themes resonated with me because it did not villainize technology, but that humans in this world used technology to help their everyday lives.”
The other aspect that makes or breaks a good animated movie is its score and sound design. The score fit this epic adventure, adding to the grandiose thunderstorm or wildfires on-screen or matching the emotional beats with some soft violins. I would have liked to hear more French-inspired sounds at certain moments, in a way Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 uses the accordion and guitar for that distinct French vibe. But, I can see Bienvenu and composer Arnaud Toulon went the more anime film route.
While there were clear inspirations, Arco’s story had enough to not make this movie feel derivative of other animated works. This film cleverly addresses climate change and technological issues while telling a great coming-of-age story at the forefront, leaving a memorable impression on me. This tight 88-minute film perfectly holds a mirror to the viewer, leaving audiences to think about our past and current environmental climate crisis. For those looking for a Miyazaki and Shinkai-inspired animated film, Arco scratches that itch.
