Inside Out 2 was the highest-grossing movie of the year, but it lost out at the Golden Globes to a dialogue-free Latvian animation about a black cat.
Tom Beasley
·Contributor
Updated Mon 6 January 2025
Flow won Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes in a big upset. (Curzon)
One of the biggest surprises of this year's Golden Globes came in the Best Animated Feature category. Rather than an enormous Disney hit, the award went to Flow — a dialogue-free, independent animation from Latvia.
Flow's win is all the more impressive because it's not as if this was a particularly lean year for animation at the Globes. The category contained two mammoth Disney movies in the shape of Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 — the highest-grossing film of 2024 — and song-and-dance sequel Moana 2, which is closing in on the billion-dollar mark worldwide.
Even away from Disney, the category also included emotionally potent DreamWorks hit The Wild Robot, the triumphant return of Wallace and Gromit for Vengeance Most Fowl, and the dark stop-motion story Memoir of a Snail. So how did Flow rise to the top?
What is Flow?
Flow tells a story of animals working together to survive an apocalyptic flood. (Curzon)
Directed and co-written by Gints Zilbalodis, Flow is an inventive and emotional adventure story about a cat trying to survive when its home is ravaged by a near-biblical flood. The cat jumps on a sailboat for safety and, over the course of the film, is joined by various other animals. Just like its fellow nominee The Wild Robot, it's a fantastical story with a resonant eco-parable undertone to it.
These aren't anthropomorphised, talking Disney animals. They only communicate via animal noises — in most cases provided by the real animals depicted. The exception is the capybara character, whose noises are actually provided by a baby camel.
Read more: Flow Is the Perfect Movie for Animation Fans, Animal Lovers, and Environmental Doomsayers (Rolling Stone)
The movie, which was made without major studio backing and rendered using the open source graphics program Blender, has been embraced by critics. It could even end up competing on multiple fronts at the Oscars, as it's Latvia's official entry for the Best International Feature category. It's the first time the country's entry has made the 15-film shortlist.
Why did Flow win at the Golden Globes?
Ron Dyens, Gints Zilbalodis, and Matiss Kaza won at the Golden Globes for Flow. (Penske Media/Getty)
Flow stands out as something truly unique in a category that, far too often, rewards very similar films each year. There is a sense, though, that the tide is turning a little. The last two winners at both the Oscars and the Globes were Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio — Netflix's innovative stop-motion take on the classic story. The days of Disney domination may well be over.
Read more: How Flow, a Latvian Animated Movie with No Dialogue, Is Upending the Awards Race (People, 3 min read)
The simplicity of the storytelling also helps. Without any dialogue to translate, any prejudice against "foreign" films disappears immediately. What's left is a universal survival tale, assisted by some very handsome animation in a visual style that looks nothing like the smooth, computer-generated sheen often relied upon by the major studios.
Flow could also have been the beneficiary of a year in which a selection of equally strong studio movies split each other's votes. Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot — and some would argue Moana 2 — are impressive blockbuster animation achievements, which may have opened the door for Flow to come through as the scrappy underdog.
Where can I watch Flow?
Flow is still awaiting its UK cinema release. (Curzon)
There's some bad news for British film fans here. Flow hasn't yet been released in this country and it's not due to arrive until 21 March, when it's getting a cinema release courtesy of Curzon. It's only likely to play in a very limited number of cinemas, but will be available to stream shortly after via the Curzon Home Cinema platform.
Read more: The Budget for Animated Hit ‘Flow’ Was So Tight, the Film Has No Deleted Scenes (IndieWire, 3 min read)
Over in the US, the film got a cinema release in November 2024 and broke distributor Janus Films' box office record, earning $2.6m (£2.1m). There's no sign of a streaming release just yet but, with the Golden Globes success in its back pocket, its cinema run will almost certainly expand.
Flow is in UK cinemas from 21 March.
How “Flow”, a Latvian Animated Movie with No Dialogue, Is Upending the Awards Race: The Story Is 'Universal' (Exclusive)
Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ ‘Flow’ is taking this awards season’s animated feature race by storm
Jack Smart
Sun 5 January 2025
UFO Distribution 'Flow'
The origins for the script, co-written with Matīss Kaža, were personal for Zilbalodis, whose 2019 animated breakout Away was a short film about a cat’s fear of water. “I wanted to tell a story about how I'm learning to collaborate and how to trust others,” he says of Flow. “I thought the cat would be a great character to put through this experience [and] a good starting point for its character arc. So I revisited that earlier premise and added a bunch of more characters.”
Those include a daffy retriever, a headstrong capybara, a covetous lemur and a mysterious bird, as well as glimpses of more fantastical creatures. “I want to really put you in the cat's point of view and let you experience the world through the cat's eyes,” Zilbalodis explains.
“To me, films are more like music where it's really about the emotion rather than explanations of stuff,” he adds. “First and foremost, I want to create an emotional experience, which for me is more important than sending a message.”
Brian de Rivera Simon/GettyGints Zilbalodis at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of 'Flow' on Sept. 10, 2024
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Zilbalodis first had an inkling Flow could take on Hollywood’s awards season when it was selected for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,” which “almost never selects animated films,” he notes. “After that, everything blew up.”
As for Latvia competing in the animated feature race against Disney, DreamWorks and such major studios, Zilbalodis says “there is room for both” types of films. “I'm really glad these more independent films are in the conversation. It's kind of hard to compete with the big ones! But it's really exciting.”
UFO Distribution 'Flow'
Also exciting: meeting his heroes like George Lucas at film festivals. The success of Flow is “really out of my hands now,” says Zilbalodis as he gears up for the Globes, Critics Choice, Spirit Awards and more. “With animation you can control everything, you can create the worlds that you imagine and control every expression of the characters. Once it's finished, it's like I'm in this storm trying to stay afloat.”
Flow is in theaters now.
‘Flow’ Director Gints Zilbalodis Shouts Out “Small, Young But Passionate Team” For First Golden Globe Win For Latvia: “This Is Huge For Us”
Ryan Fleming
Sun 5 January 2025
‘Flow’ Director Gints Zilbalodis Shouts Out “Small, Young But Passionate Team” For First Golden Globe Win For Latvia: “This Is Huge For Us”
Flow has been making waves on the awards circuit, recently becoming the first entry from Latvia to be shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Feature category, but tonight’s Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture — Animated was a particularly great prize for director Gints Zilbalodis and his team.
“This film is made by a very small, young but passionate team in a place where there isn’t a big film industry,” he says. “This is the first time that a film from Latvia has been here, so this is huge for us.”
Even without a high-budget animation industry to back them, Flow beat out five other competitors, including Pixar’s Inside Out 2 which was the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Flow follows a cat, whose solitary lifestyle changes once their home is devastated by a great flood. The cat must learn to overcome their fear of both water and others to survive, finding safety with a group of animals from different species.
“This is a very personal story for me, because I used to work alone,” says Zilbalodis. “I made all my films myself but this time I worked with a team and just like the cat in Flow, I had to learn how to trust others, how to collaborate, how to overcome our differences and I think its very important to remember this nowadays, more than ever.”
And in a final piece of humble thanks to everyone, he adds, “Thank you for embracing our little cat film.”
Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ ‘Flow’ is taking this awards season’s animated feature race by storm
Jack Smart
Sun 5 January 2025
PEOPLE
UFO Distribution 'Flow'
Flow, Latvia’s wordless adventure story about a cat surviving a fantastical flood, has made quite a splash this awards season.
The modest independent film has upended the animated feature race, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Inside Out 2, Moana 2 and The Wild Robot. Not only has it beaten those Hollywood heavyweights for the National Board of Review Award and been Golden Globe- and Critics Choice-nominated in that category, it’s Latvia’s shortlisted submission for this year's Best International Feature Oscar.
“No other Latvian film has had this kind of reach in festivals or distribution,” director and co-writer Gints Zilbalodis tells PEOPLE. “So we're very happy here in Latvia to be noticed for this.”
Critically acclaimed for its simple tale of animals banding together to survive an apocalypse, Flow is notable for not featuring the chatty cartoon critters audiences might be used to. Instead it’s dialogue-free, capturing the behaviors of a feline protagonist and its new allies with a precision that would feel documentary-like were it not for beautifully dreamy animation.
Related: Conan O’Brien Announced as Oscars Host: ‘America Demanded It'
“Because there's no dialogue, that makes it more universal,” says Zilbalodis, 31, of the film’s appeal. “It really transcends any cultural boundaries, which means that everyone can understand it. I think that's something really cool about animation, that it can be understood by pretty much everyone.”
UFO Distribution 'Flow'
Flow, Latvia’s wordless adventure story about a cat surviving a fantastical flood, has made quite a splash this awards season.
The modest independent film has upended the animated feature race, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Inside Out 2, Moana 2 and The Wild Robot. Not only has it beaten those Hollywood heavyweights for the National Board of Review Award and been Golden Globe- and Critics Choice-nominated in that category, it’s Latvia’s shortlisted submission for this year's Best International Feature Oscar.
“No other Latvian film has had this kind of reach in festivals or distribution,” director and co-writer Gints Zilbalodis tells PEOPLE. “So we're very happy here in Latvia to be noticed for this.”
Critically acclaimed for its simple tale of animals banding together to survive an apocalypse, Flow is notable for not featuring the chatty cartoon critters audiences might be used to. Instead it’s dialogue-free, capturing the behaviors of a feline protagonist and its new allies with a precision that would feel documentary-like were it not for beautifully dreamy animation.
Related: Conan O’Brien Announced as Oscars Host: ‘America Demanded It'
“Because there's no dialogue, that makes it more universal,” says Zilbalodis, 31, of the film’s appeal. “It really transcends any cultural boundaries, which means that everyone can understand it. I think that's something really cool about animation, that it can be understood by pretty much everyone.”
UFO Distribution 'Flow'
The origins for the script, co-written with Matīss Kaža, were personal for Zilbalodis, whose 2019 animated breakout Away was a short film about a cat’s fear of water. “I wanted to tell a story about how I'm learning to collaborate and how to trust others,” he says of Flow. “I thought the cat would be a great character to put through this experience [and] a good starting point for its character arc. So I revisited that earlier premise and added a bunch of more characters.”
Those include a daffy retriever, a headstrong capybara, a covetous lemur and a mysterious bird, as well as glimpses of more fantastical creatures. “I want to really put you in the cat's point of view and let you experience the world through the cat's eyes,” Zilbalodis explains.
“To me, films are more like music where it's really about the emotion rather than explanations of stuff,” he adds. “First and foremost, I want to create an emotional experience, which for me is more important than sending a message.”
Brian de Rivera Simon/GettyGints Zilbalodis at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of 'Flow' on Sept. 10, 2024
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Zilbalodis first had an inkling Flow could take on Hollywood’s awards season when it was selected for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,” which “almost never selects animated films,” he notes. “After that, everything blew up.”
As for Latvia competing in the animated feature race against Disney, DreamWorks and such major studios, Zilbalodis says “there is room for both” types of films. “I'm really glad these more independent films are in the conversation. It's kind of hard to compete with the big ones! But it's really exciting.”
UFO Distribution 'Flow'
Also exciting: meeting his heroes like George Lucas at film festivals. The success of Flow is “really out of my hands now,” says Zilbalodis as he gears up for the Globes, Critics Choice, Spirit Awards and more. “With animation you can control everything, you can create the worlds that you imagine and control every expression of the characters. Once it's finished, it's like I'm in this storm trying to stay afloat.”
Flow is in theaters now.
‘Flow’ Director Gints Zilbalodis Shouts Out “Small, Young But Passionate Team” For First Golden Globe Win For Latvia: “This Is Huge For Us”
Ryan Fleming
Sun 5 January 2025
‘Flow’ Director Gints Zilbalodis Shouts Out “Small, Young But Passionate Team” For First Golden Globe Win For Latvia: “This Is Huge For Us”
Flow has been making waves on the awards circuit, recently becoming the first entry from Latvia to be shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Feature category, but tonight’s Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture — Animated was a particularly great prize for director Gints Zilbalodis and his team.
“This film is made by a very small, young but passionate team in a place where there isn’t a big film industry,” he says. “This is the first time that a film from Latvia has been here, so this is huge for us.”
Even without a high-budget animation industry to back them, Flow beat out five other competitors, including Pixar’s Inside Out 2 which was the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Flow follows a cat, whose solitary lifestyle changes once their home is devastated by a great flood. The cat must learn to overcome their fear of both water and others to survive, finding safety with a group of animals from different species.
“This is a very personal story for me, because I used to work alone,” says Zilbalodis. “I made all my films myself but this time I worked with a team and just like the cat in Flow, I had to learn how to trust others, how to collaborate, how to overcome our differences and I think its very important to remember this nowadays, more than ever.”
And in a final piece of humble thanks to everyone, he adds, “Thank you for embracing our little cat film.”
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