This Low-Budget Movie Is Making Millions — Here’s Why
By Movieguide® Contributor
FLOW is a dialogue-free animated film that chronicles one cat’s journey, and it’s a hit at the box office.
“From the boundless imagination of filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis comes this thrilling animated spectacle, a wondrous journey through realms natural and mystical. A courageous cat teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog in search of dry land after their home is devastated by a great flood. Together they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet,” an official synopsis of the film reads.
According to Variety, the film had a budget of $3.4 million and has already grossed over $36 million since its theatrical release last November.
So, what makes this film so special?
It’s not its Best Animated Feature Oscar win earlier this year, but it’s wholesome, and families love how it tackles real-life problems.
Part of Movieguide®’s review for FLOW reads:
FLOW is a masterfully crafted animated animal adventure movie from Latvia with no dialogue. The story takes place in an unknown location which resembles Madagascar. Cat loses his home to a catastrophic flood and ventures out on an adventure through many perilous situations. Cat discovers the value in friendship and community with other outcasts as he navigates his survival. The mismatched band of characters continue their journey where they learn to cooperate with each other, sail a second boat, fish, use tools, and much more other despite their differences.
An amazing, mesmerizing achievement, FLOW includes some positive redemptive messages which involve the importance of community, collaboration, working together, and compassion. However, like real life, the animals must often fight for survival. The story has undertones of the story of Noah’s Ark as well as some Eastern religious references. FLOW has many perilous, life-threatening moments, along with natural disasters. The Bible tells us the true purpose of life is to love God and others. In FLOW, outcast animals from different species learn to love and work together. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for children.
READ MORE: FLOW REVIEW
Creator Gints Zilbalodis reflected on the project during his Oscar acceptance speech.
“Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to Sideshow and Janus. Thank you to Blender. Thank you to my mom and dad. Thank you to my cats and dogs,” he began.
“I’m really moved by the warm reception our film has had, and I think, and I hope, that it’ll open doors to independent animation filmmakers around the world,” he continued. “This is the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated, so it truly means a lot to us.”
“We are very inspired, and we hope to be back soon. We’re all in the same boat. We must overcome our differences and find ways to work together,” the director concluded.
Zilbalodis also told Variety about what inspired him to create FLOW.
“I wanted to tell a story about those fears I had, and that time of learning how to trust others and how to collaborate with them,” he said. “I wanted to use these experiences to find, hopefully, something authentic and honest. I decided to revisit that story about a cat who’s afraid of water because a cat would be a great protagonist for this story, because in the beginning it needs to be very independent and self-sufficient, and as it goes on this journey and learns to trust, it changes.”
READ MORE: OSCAR WINNER CELEBRATES FAMILY DURING ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
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