Flow wins best animated feature at the Oscars, beating Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot

Flow won the best animated feature at the 97th Academy Awards, which took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien, the ceremony was broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu for the first time. The night kicked off with a performance by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, setting a lively tone with a medley of songs from Wicked.

This year's Oscars were packed with competition, with Emilia Pérez leading the nominations with 13, closely followed by The Brutalist and Wicked, each securing 10 nods. The ceremony honored 23 categories, with standout moments like Kieran Culkin winning Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain and Sean Baker taking Best Original Screenplay for Anora.

The show balanced celebration with reflection, as O’Brien addressed the recent wildfires in Los Angeles and the industry's evolving landscape.

In the animation category, expectations were high. Inside Out 2, Disney’s biggest hit of 2024, seemed poised to win, while The Wild Robot also brought strong competition with its atmospheric storytelling. It was ultimately Flow, a wordless Latvian animated film by Gints Zilbalodis, that took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

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Flow triumphs over Inside Out 2 for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars 2025

97th Annual Oscars (Photo by Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty Images)

As mentioned, Flow pulled off a historic win at the 97th Academy Awards, taking home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The Latvian film, directed by Gints Zilbalodis, beat out heavyweights like Inside Out 2, Disney’s top-grossing film of 2024, and The Wild Robot and Memoir Of A Snail. The win was a big deal not just for Zilbalodis but for Latvia, marking the first time a film from the country won an Oscar.

Flow is a wordless, animated parable that follows a black cat navigating a world devastated by a massive flood. The cat, initially a loner, is forced to team up with a dog, a capybara, a ring-tailed lemur, and a secretary bird as they struggle to survive.

The movie doesn’t rely on dialogue but instead uses music, sound, and animation to convey emotions and build its story. Made using Blender, a free, open-source graphics tool, the film creates a dreamlike, almost peaceful take on what is essentially a post-apocalyptic scenario.

The characters’ relationships evolve naturally as they navigate the floodwaters, showing how different species can find common ground when faced with survival.

After winning the Oscar, Zilbalodis thanked his family, his pets, and his team.

“Thank you to my mom and dad. Thank you to my cats and dogs. I’m really moved by the warm reception our film has had. I hope this will open of doors to independent animation film,” he said.

He also noted the value of the win for Latvia.

“This is the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated. So it really means a lot to us. We are very inspired and we hope to be back soon.”

97th Annual Oscars (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Produced by Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman, Flow was also nominated for Best International Feature Film, making it only the second animated film to receive that recognition after Flee (2021).

The film had already earned a Golden Globe for Best Animated Motion and was nominated at the Critics Choice Awards, Annie Awards, and British Academy Film Awards. The Oscars win solidifies Flow's place as an unexpected but well-deserved success in animation.

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The Oscars ceremony is available for streaming on Hulu.