Flow

I have been anticipating the release of Flow ever since I saw a trailer and I finally had a chance to see a matinee yesterday afternoon.  It is visually stunning with an incredibly poignant story and I loved it!  When a cataclysmic tsunami completely submerges a forest in a post-apocalyptic timeline without humans, a curious and expressive black cat finds refuge on a sailboat occupied by a somnolent capybara.  They are eventually joined by an acquisitive ring-tail lemur, an irrepressible yellow Labrador, and a protective secretarybird.  They have a series of misadventures during which they must learn not only to coexist but also to work together in order to survive.  I love the way the animals are portrayed because, while they are not anthropomorphized (they definitely move and behave as animals and there is no dialogue), they do have distinct characteristics which are maintained throughout.  The cat likes to explore and is often in peril as a result (I couldn't breathe whenever the cat is thrown overboard and struggles to swim to the surface), the capybara falls asleep at inopportune times and in inconvenient places, the lemur is enamored with a collection of items (particularly a hand mirror) that must be protected, the Labrador loves to play which sometimes causes conflict (especially after the lemur's glass ball is thrown overboard during a boisterous round of catch), and the secretarybird takes a position of leadership (both literally and figuratively) and defends the group against a flock of other angry secretarybirds.  These defining characteristics made me feel a deep emotional connection with the characters and I was very invested in their fate (which is more hopeful than I was anticipating).  I loved both the naturalistic soundscape (the labored breathing of a beached whale reduced me to tears) as well as the evocative score (the dramatic theme as the water continues to rise over the cat's home gave me goosebumps).  The animation is beautiful, dynamic, and immersive and I love that it is both grounded in reality and otherworldly (there is a scene involving the secretarybird that is absolutely transcendent).  I loved this movie so much and, in a year that also included Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot, it is my favorite animated release of 2024.

Note:  This is Latvia's official entry for the Best International Feature Academy Award and it has my nonexistent vote to win!