"In all the dystopian visions of the future that the movies have trotted out over the last few decades, the one that sticks the most, surprisingly, is WALL-E. That's not just because of the chastening sight of an over-polluted Earth or those sedentary humans glued to their screens. It's because those quite plausible possibilities mean something different in a kids movie. It's their future, after all."
"Storms have become so violent that homes now have protective bubbles around them. Adults work such long hours in a distant city that they are usually mere holograms to their kids - an image that will send shudders down the spine of any parent who Zooms from a work trip. For Iris (voiced by Romy Fay) and her baby brother, the family robot does most of the parenting."
"Parents remain largely absent. In Arco, kids are left to fend for themselves in a world of technology and ecological disaster. (In one of the movie's most damning moments, the kids find refuge in a library because no one goes in there anymore.) But while there's no shortage of films that comment on our overly digital lives, technology is far from a villain in Arco. It is closer to the savior."
Arco opens in a distant future where families live on cloud platforms and wear rainbow cloaks that enable time flight. Storms are so violent homes require protective bubbles, and adults work so much they are mere holograms to their children. Robots handle parenting, education, construction and medical care while kids like Iris and her baby brother rely on a family robot. The children pursue a time-travel trail with Arco, mixing Saturday-morning-cartoon slapstick with apocalyptic stakes as friendship bridges eras. Libraries have been abandoned, underscoring social decay, but technology in Arco functions more as savior than as enemy.
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