It may feel like there hasn't been a challenger to Disney/Pixar for a long time, but in fact, the house of mouse has missed out at the Oscars for ‘Best Animated Film' for the last three years. Not only is this refreshing but it shows that more animated films are finally able to make an impression and break through to audiences. DreamWorks of course has been working away and creating some truly spectacular films over the last few years as well (bar that new Shrek film by the looks of it), but with Studio Ghibli winning last year with The Boy and the Heron and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio the year before, there finally feels like a shift happening with animation. This feeling was cemented with the historic win this year when Flow took home the prize, a first time ever win for Latvia and for co-writer and director Gints Zilbalodis.

Flow follows a black cat who lives in a world where humans no longer exist, though there are remanences from what they left behind. When the land is suddenly flooded, the cat, by chance, encounters other animals, equally lost, who all end up in a boat together. As they drift along, the group must learn to work together and navigate these new waters.

There is a skill to conveying so much emotion through characters that don't speak. The animals make their own normal sounds and noises, and we quickly adapt to this world and understand what each character is saying. The almost dreamlike world lulls us and we completely accept everything we are shown. The effortless beauty of the artwork mixed in with the enchanting score adds to the adventure we are brought on with these animals. Digging deeper beyond the pleasing visuals is a story about learning to be with and accept others. As the cat tries survive on its own it gradually understands the need for others and eventually the desire. The delicate comradery that develops between the cat, dog, capybara, lemur and finally the secretary bird is heart-warming and in the more heightened scenes, emotional.

At a recent retrospective of Zilbalodis' films to date, his short films which he made as a teenager clearly showed some of the blueprints for Flow and to some extent, his first feature, Away. All shared the element of water in some way, as a means of being trapped, lost or being a salvation. Though Zilbalodis shared with the audience that, although water featured heavily in his work, it is incredibly difficult to animate and he would not be including it in his next film.

Famously, Zilbalodis made Away on a free software and was responsible for the entire production, resulting in the shortest credits. This same software was used in part to create Flow, but instead of the one-man band, Zilbalodis had a team of animators to bring the world of Flow to life. There is an obvious change in budget between Away and Flow, but the style and even voice is distinct. The lack of dialogue within Flow creates a strangely more intimate bond between the audience and the characters. The animals don't talk, they act just how they are, realistic animals with personalities and traits. More is said with an expression or an action than any dialogue could replace.

Flow is a rare film, not just because of how it was made, or because there is no dialogue, it's the story that resonates with its audience. You either feel for the animals, or you see yourself as one of them.

Flow will be released in cinemas 21st March 2025