In this episode of Meet Me at the Movies, Thomas Manning is joined by Ugo Bienvenu, the writer, director, and producer behind the Oscar-nominated animated film Arco.
Arco voiced by Oscar Tresanini in ARCO. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Bienvenu opens up about the years-long creative journey behind this deeply personal project and shares why he set out to “give a hug with his film” during a time when the world felt anything but gentle. Sparked in the uncertainty and emotional weight of 2020, Arco emerged as a labor of love — one shaped by patience, perseverance, and a belief in the power of empathy through storytelling. Bienvenu reflects on the challenges of independent animation, the artistic risks he embraced, and why tenderness and human connection sit at the heart of the film’s design. Now playing in theaters nationwide, Arco invites audiences into an experience that is both intimate and expansive — a reminder of how animation can speak quietly and still resonate deeply.
Meet Me at the Movies airs weekly on C19 TV. Clips are used by permission for review, editorial, and commentary purposes. Hosts Noel T. Manning II and Thomas Manning are members of the Critics Choice Association, SEFCA, and the North Carolina Film Critics Association. Music on this episode provided by Johnny Russell, Voni Morrison, and Dale Evans. Opening and closing theme lyrics by Phill Ruff.
Official Synopsis:
A magical and beautifully animated journey through time, Arco is a dazzling adventure about a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful, distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075 and discovers a world in peril. As Arco develops a charming and touching friendship with a young girl named Iris, they band together and along with her trusted robot caretaker Mikki, set out on a quest to get Arco home, while the two children may also be the only ones who can save our planet.
In select theaters November 14th, 2025.
Wider release January 23rd, 2026.
Additional theatrical release January 30th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official NEON Arco webpage.
Thomas Manning is a member of the NCFCA, SEFCA, and CCA, and also the co-host of the television show and radio program Meet Me at the Movies. He has served as a production assistant and voting member on the Film Selection Committee for the Real to Reel Film Festival. Additionally, he manages his own film review and interview site, The Run-Down on Movies. Manning is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University with a double-major in Communications and English. His passion for cinema and storytelling is rivaled only by his love for the music of Taylor Swift.
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Categories: Filmmaker Interviews
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