Arco

Apologies, can’t resist: “Arco fuck yourself”. Watched with the American dub, this sets up a unique time-travel premise (travelling to the future from the much further future), and the first half hour setting up Arco’s efforts to fit in to the “modern” society is an ingenious way to give the viewers an extensive briefing on a new and fascinating world. It’s a shame that the film-makers seem to lose their nerve somewhere around the second act, turning the film into a mawkish and sentimental riff on E.T. without really going to any great pains to establish a strong connection between Iris and Arco, and laying bare the pretty blatant machinery being used to manufacture the tears. Still the animation is lovely, and I enjoyed the American vocal work, especially Samburg, Ferrell and Flea as the pursuing agents.