Although this year’s Oscars for best Animation was a highly contested category, there could be just one winner, which turned out to be KPop Demon Hunters; it was bright, vibrant, and appropriately K-poppy, which struck a chord with its young target audience.

There were two other nominees however, that although colourful, were clearly aimed at slightly older, more contemplative audience; one was the Japanese Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and the other this delightful French film.

Living in a home up in the clouds is Arco (Juliano Krue Valdi). He yearns to do what his parents and older sister do, take off and fly amongst the clouds, but as he hasn’t reached the legal age to do so yet – twelve – he must keep his feet on the ground.

But when an opportunity to don a multicoloured cape and take off shows itself, he takes it.

His debut flight doesn’t go well though, and sees him travelling through time, which finds him crashing into the woods in the year 2075. He’s discovered there by fellow ten-year-old Iris (Romy Fay), who carries his unconscious body all the way back to her home.

Unbeknownst to them both, his arrival was also witnessed by three brothers, Dougie (Will Ferrell), Stewie (Andy Samberg) and Frankie (Flea), who have been watching the skies for the last 20 years for such an occasion. They also discovered the sparkling gemstone that powered his suit, and are keen to track him down.

If Arco is to return home he will need the gemstone back, but with the brothers, and the robots that live in the area, after him, will he ever fly again?

With the world embracing CGI production tools, French directors Ugo Bienvenu and Gilles Cazaux were keen to tell their story by more traditional means, beautifully hand painted. The result is a charming nostalgic aesthetic, as if it had been only recently discovered having been made in the seventies.

And although its story is a simple one, of a boy from the future on an adventure, it weaves some sweet and subtle narratives into its multicoloured cape; at its heart is young love, with two souls finding each other through time. And although Arco travels into his past, he also arrives in our not so distant future, 2075, which reveals some of the results of climate change, as well as our over-reliance in robots and AI.

It’s colourful enough to distract youngsters from their tablets, and deep enough to engage their parents and older audience, with its sublime, retro art direction and thought-provoking storytelling.

It also won over an impressive cast dubbing its English language version, which also included Mark Ruffalo, and Natalie Portman who was also producer, all keen to bring the film to the widest audience possible, that it rightly deserves.

And it’s also yet another excellent example that animation doesn’t have to be solely aimed at the younger generation to be fully appreciated.