‘Arco‘ Soars to Top Animation Honor from National Board of Review
NEW YORK - The National Board of Review (NBR) today named Arco as Best Animated Feature of 2025, recognizing the film as a standout among 265 contenders. The announcement was made as part of the NBR’s annual awards, to be celebrated at a gala event on January 13, 2026, in New York City.
Arco, the directorial debut of French comic-book creator and filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, previously earned the Annecy Cristal and is a contender for the European Film Awards. NEON released the film in the U.S. in November.
The film centers on a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful future who travels to 2075 and teams up with a young girl, Iris, and her robot caretaker, Mikki, to return home and potentially save earth. The voice cast includes Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, and Andy Samberg.
Arco is produced by Remembers (Bienvenu, Felix de Givry) and mountainA (Portman, Sophie Mas), with co-production by France 3 Cinema.
The NBR’s overall top honors went to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which secured awards for Best Film, Best Director, best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro), and Breakthrough Performance (Chase infiniti). A complete list of winners is available at nationalboardofreview.org.
