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Synopsis
A thrilling tale of friendship and survival that took indie animation to ecstatic new heights of ambition and imagination, this Academy Award–winning international sensation follows a courageous cat after its home is devastated by a great flood. As the cat teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, the crew must rely on trust, courage, and their wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. Working with a small team using open-source software, visionary DIY animator Gints Zilbalodis conjures a sublime sensory odyssey and a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of community.
Picture 9/10
The Criterion Collection presents the 2025 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature, Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow, on 4K UHD in its original 2.00:1 aspect ratio. The film is housed on a triple-layer disc with a 2160p/24hz SDR encode, and the package also includes Zilbalodis’ debut feature, Away, in 4K. Two standard Blu-ray discs round things out: the first containing 1080p presentations of both films, the second dedicated to video supplements.
Flow is about as independent as you can probably get for a film of this scale, created with a small team using the open-source software Blender. I’m only vaguely familiar with the program, so I wasn’t sure whether any inherent limitations might hold the film back. Happily, that’s not the case. The presentation looks fantastic; remarkably clean and free of noise, with what even resembles a layer of digital “film grain” giving the image texture. Character shading occasionally exhibits banding, though this appears to be an intentional stylistic choice, as the effect doesn’t appear elsewhere. Otherwise, gradations are smooth, detail is sharp, and atmospheric elements like smoke, fog, and mist are rendered beautifully. I spotted no compression issues or artifacts tied to the source files.
Even without HDR, the range impresses. Lighting and shadow are striking, with highlights often revealing fine detail. Black levels are strong, and colors pop, especially in the underwater sequences, where the film’s gorgeous water effects are showcased to their fullest.
Overall, this is a wonderful presentation of a visually stunning film, a terrific surprise.
Flow - Screen Captures
Audio 8/10
Criterion includes a DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack for Flow (though my configuration is 5.1). With no dialogue to anchor things, the track leans entirely on naturalistic animal sounds and Zilbalodis’ ethereal score, both of which are mixed beautifully throughout the soundfield. Music frequently floats into the surrounds, creating an enveloping atmosphere, while effects remain crisp and clean.
Dynamic range can be quite wide, from delicate ambient effects to sudden bursts in the music, and bass is used effectively. It swells with certain musical passages and becomes more notable during the film’s underwater sequences, but never to the point of overwhelming the mix.
Overall, it’s a highly effective track that complements the imagery perfectly.
Extras 9/10
Receiving a full Criterion release (and not just a Criterion Premieres/Janus Contemporaries edition), Flow arrives with a generous set of supplements, headlined by an audio commentary with director Gints Zilbalodis. I wasn’t sure how this would play out, given how reserved he seems in other features (though here he insists that being introverted is “a Latvian thing”), but it proves to be a fascinating and surprisingly engaging track. He discusses working with a team for the first time after years of creating films on his own, covering both the new challenges and his gratitude for the contributions of others, whom he frequently praises through the track. He delves into lighting, use of the virtual camera, and how he would block out sequences with animatics rendered on the fly through Blender. He also talks through story and character development, much of which shifted during animation (the script was essentially abandoned), and how editing choices—long takes versus quick cuts—were used to shape the film’s emotional core. He even explains how certain decisions were made solely to help audiences bond with the characters. The track has a dry sense of humor, too, with one highlight being his frustration with the two minutes’ worth of production logos that open the film (he had no choice). It’s an exceptionally thoughtful piece, and aspiring animators in particular will find it invaluable.
The 4K disc (and the first standard Blu-ray) also includes Zilbalodis’ 2019 debut feature Away, an ambitious solo effort that feels like an expansion of his earlier short Priorities (included elsewhere in this release). The story follows a young man stranded on an island, pursued by a giant, life-draining spirit as he makes a perilous journey across the terrain with only a small bird for company. Compared to the polish of Flow, it looks rougher: characters and environments are flatter and less detailed, though occasional visual flourishes break through, and the animation itself remains solid. It has an indie video game vibe, which Zilbalodis admits in the commentary for Flow may stem from gaming influences. More importantly, the film shows him experimenting with editing, camera movement, and lighting in ways that keep its slim story compelling for 75 minutes. Considering he did it entirely alone, it’s an impressive achievement. Criterion presents it in 4K, and while the imagery isn’t as intricate as Flow, the presentation is strong. The only real disappointment is the audio, limited to Dolby Digital stereo. It’s also included in 1080p on the Blu-ray.
The remaining features are found on the second Blu-ray. Reflecting the project’s Janus Contemporaries roots, there’s a 13-minute Meet the Filmmakers segment where Zilbalodis discusses his background and design choices. Some material overlaps with the commentary, but he also shares insights into character design, noting why they’re less realistic than the film’s environments. There’s a charming anecdote about capturing the cat’s “voice”: the sound designer tried recording his own cat, who stubbornly refused to make a peep when the mic was on (despite being very chatty most of the time), leading to hidden microphones being planted around the house to catch it off-guard.
A new interview with co-writer/co-producer Matīss Kaža follows. He recalls meeting Zilbalodis through an animation community and eventually becoming the project’s primary writer. He speaks about the collaborative process, Zilbalodis’ occasional difficulty in relinquishing control, and his infectious enthusiasm for sharing what he learns, often through social media posts. It’s a warm and personable 11-minute discussion.
Criterion also includes a 58-minute Latvian television documentary, Dream Cat, produced after the film’s Oscar win. For what was clearly a celebratory television special, it’s surprisingly solid, with interviews featuring Zilbalodis, Kaža, and other members of the team. It digs into character and environment design, sound and music, and includes behind-the-scenes development footage (though this is explored further in another section of the disc).
Two of Zilbalodis’ shorts are here as well, both with optional commentary: Aqua (7 minutes) and Priorities (9 minutes). Both are experimental works that anticipate elements of Flow, especially Aqua, about a water-fearing cat trapped on a boat with a bird. In the commentaries, Zilbalodis details how each was made and how they honed his sensibilities, particularly in editing and virtual camera work, the latter of which he experiments with aggressively in the latter 3D rendered film. He’s especially candid about his regrets over Priorities’ title, wishing he’d stuck with the original, Copilot.
A “Process Videos” section includes two brief proof-of-concept reels from 2019 and 2021. The first is a rough underwater-to-surface sequence, while the second demonstrates visuals much closer to the finished film, showing how far the project advanced.
Most impressive is the inclusion of the film’s complete 80-minute animatic, often referenced throughout the supplements. Nearly silent, with some music in place, it’s a remarkable document showing just how closely the final film followed it. The backgrounds are mostly in place (though lacking textures and fine details), and characters move stiffly like action figures, but it demonstrates how Zilbalodis tested pacing and shot composition before moving ahead on the actual animation. It’s fascinating, though I almost wish Criterion had included it picture-in-picture, as they did with Watership Down and Fantastic Mr. Fox, to make comparisons easier.
There are also about 10 minutes of deleted shots from the animatic stage, with Zilbalodis explaining why each was cut: usually for pacing reasons.
The disc wraps up with promotional material: a four-minute “For Your Consideration” reel intercutting film clips with excerpts from Criterion’s Meet the Filmmakers piece; both U.S. and international trailers; a 30-second awards spot; and the HBO Max trailer featuring director blurbs. The package is rounded out with an insert featuring an essay by Nicolas Rapold and a sheet of stickers showcasing the five main characters.
All told, this is a terrific set of supplements that thoroughly documents Flow’s unconventional production and improbable success. Beyond celebrating the film, much of the material could prove genuinely helpful and inspiring for other DIY animators. A nice collection overall.
Closing
A lovingly assembled release featuring a wonderful 4K presentation of the film and a terrific collection of supplements covering the do-it-yourself nature of its production.
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