With the Oscars coming on March 2, the race for best animated feature is heating up big time with the wide release of "Flow," a visionary masterpiece from Latvia that is sure to give category favorites like "The Wild Robot" and "Inside Out 2" a run for the gold.
Told totally without dialogue, "Flow" relies on astonishing 3D images and a score by director Gints Zilbalodis and composer Rihards Zaļupe to suggest the dazzling and dangerous world decimated by a great flood that destroyed all traces of humanity. We're never told why.
But there is life on earth that we notice instantly as we watch a black cat with large eyes, alive with expression and the ability to take in untold wonders, being chased through a forest by a pack of five dogs barking and panting in its wake.
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The cat takes refuge in the vacant cottage of a wood carver who we believe is responsible for the cat sculptures, large and small, that we see in the woods.
While the feline collapses in a heap of exhaustion, the audience can gaze at what's left of a world that now belongs to animals.
Once awake, the unnamed cat dashes around with skittish abandon until leaping aboard a passing sailboat occupied by other stranded creatures, including a Labrador retriever, a secretary bird, a capybara and a lemur who hoards bright and shiny discarded trinkets.
Please note that on this miniature ark with no need for a Noah, the animals feel real, they're not the typically anthropomorphized cartoon versions voiced by A-list actors.
For those fearing an excess of cuteness, let it be known that "Flow" never comes close to inducing sugar shock. These animals are animated with artful brilliance, with close attention to details, such as an arched back, a breeze lifting strands of fur, fear darkening the eyes of deer trying to dodge a tidal wave bent of their destruction.
"Flow" disdains the comfort of easily digestible cliches. The real world can feel like a trap. Parents should heed the PG rating for little ones who may react strongly to scenes of entrapment, like animals huddled together as their boat capsizes in a thunderstorm. It is also teaching us as humans about the need for community, for trust, for empathy, for protecting others who may not be of the same species.
Review: 'Presence' turns the familiar into something fresh and frighteningZilbalodis never leans too hard on the messaging. "Flow" is always flowing with movement, taking in the next peril or the next chance to bond with a fellow creature. The animals here are absent vanity, even when they see themselves reflected in water.
It's a good time to point out that "Flow" has done more than score an Oscar spot for animation, it is also nominated for best international film, along with "Emilia Pérez" and "I'm Still Here." That honor speaks to the universal language of animation too long neglected in the dominance of live-action. No more.
"Flow" is a thing of beauty that may really be a joy forever.
