Arco

On a futuristic world, the population travel by making their own rainbows - but you have to be twelve before you get your own empowering cape and diamond. Ten year old “Arco” is impatient, though, especially when his parents and sister return from an exhilarating trip. One night, when all are asleep he pinches his sister’s kit and sets off for his maiden flight. Of course, he’s hardly adept and so soon plummets through the clouds, and the timeline, and finds himself stuck in a past world with “Iris”. She’s an independent spirit whom he soon learns to trust, and despite the chagrin of the disgruntled “Clifford”, the youngsters start to bond. Meantime, as they try to discover the now missing jewel that he needs before he can fly back home, a trio of misfits with their very own version of the “Mean Machine” from “Scooby Do” seem to be trying to apprehend the new visitor, and so now not only must they get “Arco” home but they must stay one step ahead of their menacing pursuers too! Luckily, they also have the ultra-loyal nanny robot “Mikki” - think “Sonny” from “I, Robot” (2004) - to help out, so fingers crossed. This is one of those engagingly detailed family animations that manages to effortlessly combine a little sci-fi with a lot of personality whilst also tinging the proceedings with a little longing too. He wants to go home; she wants to see her frequently absent parents more and I think “Mikki” just wants five minutes peace to recharge his batteries. There is plenty of mischief, some light-heartedness and there are a few subliminal messages for children and parents alike about friendship and just being there and, stylistically, this has something of the Ghibli to it as it flows along thoughtfully and entertainingly for ninety minutes.