Cheyenne Suarez

'Flow' review: Oscar win should inspire local animators

Article (news)

Fred Hawson

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1741248296260cat.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=" A scene from &#x27;Flow&#x27;"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em> A scene from &#x27;Flow&#x27; </em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>A dark grey cat was running through a forest, when suddenly there was a sudden surge of water creating a major flood. The cat survived this initial gush of water, but they soon realized that the water level was continuing to go up higher and higher. The cat was luckily able to climb into an old sailboat, where there was a capybara on board. They was soon joined by a ring-tailed lemur, a yellow labrador retriever, and an injured secretary bird. </p><p>This motley crew of animals find each other on their own version of Noah&#x27;s Ark, and learn to live and help each other through their odyssey into uncertainty. Consistent with its suspicious nature, our cat is always very wary of the other animals, but they were all instinctively generous towards him. He would later reciprocate with his talent for fishing.  As for how they steered the boat, we can excuse that creative license. </p><p>Director Gints Zilbalodis did not give us exactly what the circumstances were on earth when this major flood happened. When we saw an empty house with drawings and statues of cats and the boats, we knew there used to be humans living in that area. However, we never see any human being, living or otherwise, at all.  We surmise something apocalyptic happened that wiped humans out, but Zilbalodis did not dwell on what that disaster was. </p><p>Our protagonist cat was very smart and brave, but also a lucky one -- blessed with nine lives. Zilbalodis did not avoid very dark moments, such as that scary scene when the cat was left behind in the water while the sailboat was sailing further away from him. That scene made our heart sink and tears well up, as the color of the water became darker and darker. Another tough scene to watch was a duel of the secretary birds and the turbulent storm.</p><p>The yellow lab dog was easily the scene stealer, since many viewers would be amused with its delightful habits. We feel for the lemur when other animals mess with his basket of treasures, like the ball and the mirror. It was a pleasant surprise to see the capybara being as cute and huggable as it was. Being a sub-Saharan species of predatory bird, the majestic secretarybirds are not well-known to local viewers, so it was good to see them in action. </p><p>This film has earned Best Animated Feature in both the Golden Globe Awards, the Oscar Awards and various critics awards, winning over mainstream favorites like Dreamworks&#x27; &quot;The Wild Robot&quot; and Disney&#x27;s &quot;Inside Out 2.&quot; </p><p>Thanks to these high-profile awards, this animated indie film with no dialog from Latvia is being shown in Philippine movie houses. This should encourage our local animators to strive for more excellence in this field. </p><div><em><br/></em></div><div><em>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://said-fred.blogspot.com/2025/03/review-of-flow-cat-in-crisis.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fred Said.</a>”</em></div>

<p>This film from Latvia has earned Best Animated Feature in the Oscars and various critics awards, winning over mainstream favorites like Dreamworks' 'The Wild Robot' and Disney's 'Inside Out 2.'</p>

This film from Latvia has earned Best Animated Feature in the Oscars and various critics awards, winning over mainstream favorites like Dreamworks' 'The Wild Robot' and Disney's 'Inside Out 2.'