The highly anticipated animated film Flow (titled Straume in Latvian), which was one of the highlights of Annecy 2024, is set for release on October 30. The movie, directed by Gints Zilbalodis, follows the journey of a cat navigating a world ravaged by global flooding, and has already made waves in the animation community. At Annecy, Flow took home the prestigious jury award, audience prize, and best music award.
New details about the production have recently surfaced, revealing that the entire film was created using Blender, an open-source 3D software. Despite having no dialogue, Flow captivates audiences with its striking visual narrative, telling a moving story about a group of animals working together to survive in a flooded world. Rendered in real-time using Blender’s EEVEE engine, the film’s art style and expressive animation communicate powerfully without words.
The film’s beauty caught the attention of acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro, who shared his admiration after seeing a clip of Flow at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in May 2024. Del Toro tweeted, “If I could wish for the future of animation, these images would be its magnificent, breathtaking start.”
Some have drawn comparisons between Flow and BlueTwelve Studio’s popular video game Stray, particularly in the emotional depth and personality conveyed through the animals. The stunning landscapes of mountains and lakes, along with the masterful use of light and water reflections, have led some to predict that Flow could be the standout animation of the year.
As its October release nears, Flow continues to garner attention for its remarkable achievements—especially considering it was created by a small team using Blender alone.
