Few debut features arrive with the kind of quiet confidence that defines “Arco.” Written and directed by French illustrator and filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, the hand-drawn animated film has emerged as one of the year’s most distinctive animated works, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature after premiering in Official Selection at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and winning the Cristal for Best Feature at Annecy. Rather than leaning on familiar genre conventions, “Arco” unfolds as a meditative adventure that blends childhood wonder, philosophical inquiry, and an unmistakably personal visual language.
The story follows a ten-year-old boy from a distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075, where he forms an unlikely bond with a young girl named Iris. Together, along with her robot caretaker Mikki, they attempt to return Arco home while confronting an Earth on the brink of environmental collapse. Produced by Bienvenu and Félix de Givry through their company Remembers, alongside Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas for MountainA, the film’s English-language cast includes Portman, Mark Ruffalo, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Andy Samberg, and Flea.
Set against themes of time, memory, technology, and environmental responsibility, the film resists easy categorization. It is both science fiction and a coming-of-age story, designed to engage children and adults without condescension. As Bienvenu explains, he tries “to speak to both — the child in the adult and the adult in the child,” resisting the narrow targeting that often defines contemporary animation.
That sense of authorship is no accident. Bienvenu spent years developing the film almost entirely on his own terms, storyboarding the project in full and eventually financing an extensive animatic to prove the film’s vision when traditional funding avenues in France proved resistant to its unconventional structure. The gamble paid off, attracting the attention of Portman, who joined the project not only as a voice actor but also as a producer, helping shepherd the film through completion.
The nomination arrives at a moment of personal and professional convergence for Bienvenu, who completed the film while raising two young children and navigating the demands of an international awards campaign. Speaking one day after receiving his Oscar nomination, he reflects on the long path to bringing “Arco” to life, his collaboration with Portman, and the creative discipline required to protect what he calls a singular voice in animation.
Awards Focus: Congratulations on the nomination. How did you find out, and what was your reaction?
Ugo Bienvenu: Actually, I don’t have much time in France, and I bought a house. So I was visiting my house because we were doing all the fabric of the house. We’re making it. I was in the middle of talking with the guys working there when we saw the announcement. It was a good moment. And what I have to say is that in Paris, at the very moment the announcement was made, there were a lot of rainbows in the sky. I was receiving emails at the same time. Everybody was sending me rainbow pictures. So it was really a magical moment.
AF: For a debut feature director, this must feel surreal. Was an Oscar nomination something you ever imagined for your first film, especially with such other strong contenders in this category?
Bienvenu: You never expect anything. But it’s true that this year is a really strong year for animation, and I’m so glad for animation that there are so many great movies this year.
AF: What has awards season been like for you? What has surprised you most?
Bienvenu: I have two young kids. My son is one. I had him six months before finishing “Arco,” and my daughter one year after beginning it. After releasing “Arco” in France, I thought, “Okay, I’m done. I did my job.” But I was so wrong. It’s a mix of emotions. I’m super happy, and sometimes super sad because I’m not with my family. But I’m so happy for the movie and for the craft. 2D animation is not doing very well in France. I’m happy people there see that the movie is finding its way into cinemas.
It’s important for France to see that we can do movies that compete internationally and that we must continue doing this work. Most of all, I’m happy if my movie helps other directors take risks with 2D animation. It was so hard for us because the system in France is a lot about financing subject movies. They don’t like adventure movies. They don’t like science fiction. That’s why it was difficult to bring it into the world. If the career of my movie allows other directors to make different kinds of films in France, I would be very happy.
AF: How did Natalie Portman become involved, and how did the project evolve once she joined as both a voice actor and producer?
Bienvenu: With my partner Félix [de Givry], we began writing in 2020. I was doing the storyboards for two and a half years. Everybody we spoke to in France said the movie couldn’t exist, that the plot was not classical and not conventional. It was hard to defend our precise way of telling this story.
We decided to hide the project and continue ourselves. After two and a half years, we met a big producer in France, a friend, and he said, “I don’t see how you can finance this in France.” The budget was nine million, which is high in France.
At that point, we put all our money into creating a clear animatic. After six months, we had 45 minutes animated at 12 images per second. Then we were broke. We hired three people and spent everything.
We called Jamil Shamasdin, who is our agent and also Natalie Portman’s agent. He saw the animatic and said she might be interested. She lives in Paris and came the next day with her partner Sophie Mas. They watched the 45-minute animatic. At the end, they asked, “What do you need from us?” We told them we needed money to finish it. They invested their own money. After six more months, we completed it.
They became like bodyguards for the movie. After that, we restarted financing in France and secured 30 percent quickly. We launched production even without the full amount and finished the film in a year, completing financing in Canada.
AF: When you met Natalie Portman for the first time, was there any part of you that felt the weight of who she is in the industry?
Bienvenu: Honestly, no. I’ve worked for 15 years in big houses in France like Hermès, Chanel, and LVMH. When you meet another creator, you speak the same language. It doesn’t feel like a fan meeting a star. It’s a craftsman meeting another craftsman. Of course there’s a sparkle, but it’s work. If you arrive as a fan, it’s not comfortable for the other person.
AF: There are themes of friendship, childhood, time travel, technology, and environmental responsibility in the film. Was there a specific inspiration in your life?
Bienvenu: All my life is in the movie. My childhood, living in Mexico, Guatemala, Chad, China, America, Europe. I’m influenced by all these places. I lived a long time in Guatemala and Mexico, and I was impacted by American 1950s advertising, the streamlines from Raymond Loewy, Marlboro and Coca-Cola ads. My colors are from Mexico and Chad.
Also literature. I read more than I watch movies. Philosophy is important. Günther Anders is more present in my movie than any filmmaker. Marguerite Duras too. I try to balance intellectual ideas with emotion. You can watch it as a simple story, but if you’re interested in philosophy or climate themes, there are deeper layers.
AF: You’ve said you want the film to speak to both children and adults. Why was that important?
Bienvenu: When I was a child, I felt the adult in me wasn’t respected. Adults were lying to me in stories. Now that I’m an adult, nobody hears my inner child. When I write books or movies, I try to speak to both – the child in the adult and the adult in the child. If you target too narrowly, you make something smaller than it could be.
AF: Your background is in illustration. Do you see the “Arco” visual language continuing across future films?
Bienvenu: Yes. I’ve had this style for 15 years. People compare it to Miyazaki, but visually it’s different. What connects us is not showing violence, showing nature, showing gray zones instead of good and bad. Cinema is about feeling the wind, touching water, being afraid of death. Miyazaki is about that too.
In France, people said my style looked like Moebius, who influenced Miyazaki. In a way, it comes full circle.
AF: Animation is collaborative. Were there moments where collaborators changed your vision?
Bienvenu: Not much. I storyboarded everything and built a very clear animatic with my team. I was also a teacher at Gobelins in Paris and hired many of my former students. They know my style.
If someone brought a new idea, I would say, “Nice idea, but let’s figure it out.” Often it would create new problems. I believe you cannot put every good idea into a movie. The films I love have one clear voice. Today I feel many films are middle-decisions. Nobody takes a strong position. A movie is not a cocktail.
AF: We’re one day after your Oscar nomination. What would you tell your 15-year-old self?
Bienvenu: Nothing. There’s a French poet who said you must ignore many things in order to act. If you knew how hard it would be, you would never start. It’s the accumulation of moments that makes it beautiful. If you focus on the difficulty, you freeze.
That’s why in the movie we say we don’t need to know the future. If you know the future, you don’t act. I didn’t decide to make a feature. I do comic books and short films. I work for Hermès. Making this film meant not being paid for four years. It was stressful. But I didn’t choose. The idea was stronger than me. I feel like the idea was in the air and touched me. I had to fight for it to exist. I’m just an employee of the idea.
AF: Thank you so much for your time, and congratulations again.
Bienvenu: Thank you so much.