• Natalie Portman produces and voices in Arco, a French animated sci‑fi that won top prize at Annecy.
• Director Ugo Bienvenu builds two distinct climate futures: a cloudborne Eden and a flood-scarred 2075.
• The English-language release from Neon features Portman, Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo and Andy Samberg.
• Arco uses vivid 2D design and time-travel storytelling to explore hope, AI and imagination.
French animated epic frames two climate futures
Arco, a French 2D sci‑fi feature produced by Natalie Portman, imagines not one but two possible climate apocalypses. Directed by Ugo Bienvenu and recently honored at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the film contrasts a transcendent, garden-filled world above the clouds with a ravaged near-future Earth protected by bubble shields.
A tale of two worlds
The story follows Arco, a rainbow-cloaked youngster from around the year 3000 who lives on elevated platforms where extinct plants are recovered to heal the planet below. When Arco steals a cloak to see dinosaurs, a time-travel mishap strands him in 2075, a technologically advanced but environmentally damaged world where a girl named Iris navigates life behind protective domes.
Arco and Iris quickly bond and launch a quest to return Arco to his sky garden. Bienvenu frames the pair’s adventure as a childlike odyssey — more Peter Pan than hard science — using time travel as a device to connect imagination and empathy rather than to solve paradoxes.
Natalie Portman and a starry English cast
The film’s English-language version is distributed by Neon and bolsters its international profile with high-profile voices. Natalie Portman not only produces but also contributes to the voice cast alongside Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Mark Ruffalo and Andy Samberg. Portman’s involvement helped spotlight Arco as an awards-season contender.
Design, themes and the role of AI
Bienvenu, known for graphic novels and shorts, brought a global visual language to the film, drawing on influences from Miyazaki and anime while keeping the look bold and child-friendly. Color and shape distinctively separate the two futures: the warm, pastoral platforms above the clouds and the neon, bubble‑protected suburbs of 2075.
A central figure in the film is Mikki, an intelligent nanny robot who cares for Iris. Bienvenu uses Mikki to explore the limits of AI companionship: Mikki improves a child’s life but also raises questions about human connection and experience. The director sees the film as asking audiences which future they would choose — one of curated safety or one that nurtures imagination and interaction.
Why Arco matters now
Arco aims to offer hope amid climate anxiety. Rather than presenting a single bleak future, the film stages two distinct possibilities and invites viewers — especially young ones — to imagine better worlds. With strong festival recognition, a prominent producer in Natalie Portman and an accessible visual approach, Arco is poised to reach wider audiences this awards season.
Where to watch
Neon will release the English-language version; check local listings for theater dates and festival screenings.
Image Referance: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2025-12-22/arco-animated-feature-climate-disaster-fires-floods
