Flow – Animation for All
Written by Dr. Zoe Crombie
Since the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was established in 2001, one name has dominated the category: Disney. While the inaugural award was given to DreamWorks’ Shrek, the company has received 15 Animated Feature Oscars since, including a six year winning streak from 2012 to 2017. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for underdogs to squeak through, and no film fits this description better than Gints Zilbalodis’ independent wonder Flow.
Rendered entirely on the free open-source software Blender, with a budget of just under £3 million (a hair under Inside Out 2’s budget of £160 million), Flow is a tale of a stray cat making its way through the world, with each animal in the film animated with realistic behaviours a world away from Zootopia. With mature themes and intense moments amid the cuteness, Zilbalodis demonstrates the maturity of the medium even without a script and provides one of the most unique Oscar frontrunners in years.
An unexpected and welcome surprise for the 2025 awards season and the first Latvian film to receive major attention, Flow is a family friendly delight, and a testament to the power of meticulously rendered 3D animation – even if you don’t have the capital of Disney to back you up.
Catch Flow on the 22nd February
