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Latvia’s animated film Flow made history on Sunday by winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar, triumphing over major contenders like Inside Out 2 and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
The visually stunning, dialogue-free film tells the story of a black cat forced to cooperate with a diverse group of animals to survive a flood.
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis, Flow is the first Latvian film to ever win an Academy Award and was also nominated in the Best International Feature Film category—only the second animated film in Oscar history to achieve that distinction.
The film follows a solitary black cat who, after a sudden flood, embarks on a journey alongside an unlikely group of animals—including a golden retriever, a capybara, a secretary bird, and a lemur. As they navigate the rising waters on a sailboat, the group learns to set aside their differences and work together.
Zilbalodis, accepting the award, emphasised this theme: “We’re all in the same boat; we must overcome our differences and find ways to work together—thank you.”
With a modest $3.6 million budget, Flow has captivated audiences worldwide. It previously won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, the highest-ever recognition for a Latvian film before its Oscar win.
The film’s success has also translated into record-breaking viewership in Latvia. More than 300,000 people have watched Flow in cinemas, surpassing the local box office numbers of Titanic and Avatar.
Zilbalodis created Flow using Blender, an open-source animation software, carefully studying animal behaviours to bring authenticity to his characters.
The film’s animal sounds were recorded from real-life creatures—except for the capybara.
Zilbalodis revealed that recording capybara sounds proved difficult, as the animals are usually silent.
“A zookeeper had to go in and tickle the capybara,” he shared. However, the resulting high-pitched noise didn’t match the capybara’s laid-back personality, so the team opted for an unexpected substitute: a baby camel.
Beyond its technical achievements, Flow has resonated with audiences for its universal themes of survival, cooperation, and empathy.
With its Oscar win, Flow not only cements Latvia’s place in the animation world but also stands as a testament to the power of storytelling—without a single word spoken.
