Neon, the studio behind Longlegs, unveils a new teaser trailer for its sci-fi animated Oscar contender, Arco, along with a new voice cast announcement and U.S. release date. Directed by Ugo Bienvenu, the animated movie marks the filmmaker’s feature directorial debut, which he produced with Natalie Portman, Felix de Givry, and Sophie Mᴀss.
Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, and Andy Samberg are part of the English voice cast for the French film Arco. The animated feature had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Cristal Award for Best Feature Film and the Soundtrack Award at Annecy.
The English version will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7 before coming to theaters in the U.S. on Nov. 14. The movie follows a 10-year-old boy’s adventure from a distant future to the year 2075, where the world is in distress. Together with his friend Iris and her robot caretaker Mikki, the two children are on a quest to save the world.
Check out the teaser for Arco below:
What This Means For Arco & The 98th Academy Awards
Arco will be NEON’s Oscar submission for the Best Animated Feature category at the 98th Academy Awards. From Sean Baker’s Anora and Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, the studio has garnered a total of 39 Oscar nominations and 11 wins in eight years.
So far, this year has seen a few strong animated options. While Pixar’s Elio to The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants are among them, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters has achieved overwhelming success both commercially and critically. ARCO‘s entry could potentially make the category even more compeтιтive.
Arco‘s English version has an all-star cast, highlighting the studio’s investment in the movie. The first trailer offers a sneak peek at the heartfelt, epic time-traveling adventure of Arco and the friendship between him and Iris. The movie currently has an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score from 11 reviews, with many praising its optimistic vision of the future.
Our Take On Arco’s Potential At The Oscars
The teaser gives the audience an idea of Arco‘s vibe and aesthetic. However, it doesn’t reveal too much about the voice cast. The teaser doesn’t even feature a single line from its core cast. Thus, it’s very likely that the film is saving its best moments for a theatrical experience.
It’s also unclear which character each of the A-list cast members will play, but even so, the involvement of Mark Ruffalo, Natalie Portman, Flea, and the likes makes NEON’s Oscar contender, Arco, highly anticipated.