If you love Studio Ghibli movies, a new animated film might be right up your alley. Arco, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, tells the story of two unlikely friends who have to join together to save each other. Quite literally. Arco is a young boy from a peaceful future who uses his flight suit to go back in time. But what he finds isn’t peaceful at all.

ABOUT “ARCO”

Iris is a girl who not only has to take care of her sibling all on her own (with the help of her robots) but she’s doing it while her parents are off at work, not caring about them. She’s sad and lonely and finds Arco and the two become friends out of necessity. Which is where Arco really shines.

While no one can capture the magic of a Studio Ghibli movie, Arco‘s style does harken back to the iconic animation studio. It reminds the audience of movies like The Boy and the Heron and Princess Mononoke but also has its own unique moments that make it stand apart.

There are moments throughout Arco that do drag on. It gets complicated, there are some storylines that can be tricky to follow, but when you go back to Arco and Iris’ relationship, then everything that is happening with the end of the world doesn’t really matter much. You care most about these two sweet kids who found each other who very clearly cannot stay friends.

The look of both Arco and Iris’ worlds are beautiful. Bright, futuristic, but also sterile. They’re both missing love and compassion in their lives and the two find it within each other and that is a beautiful message to give to younger audiences.

FOUND FAMILY IS IMPORTANT TOO

Often, we teach kids in animated movies that your family is important and to fight for it, talk to your parents, and fix your relationships. That’s not a bad lesson but we do end up missing that sometimes a found family is just as important and sometimes more so than your birth family. And Arco and Iris find that in each other.

Whatever doesn’t work in Arco doesn’t really matter by the end of the film because you really can see how these two kids need each other. It is sweet, beautiful, and an important new animated film for all audiences.

3.5/5 rainbow capes