Flow's emotional animated adventure follows a group of unlikely animal friends.
The movie directed by Gints Zilbalodis has gained critical acclaim at awards ceremonies in the past year, initially debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, before scoring a Best Animated Feature nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Unlike animated features like Inside Out 2, Flow does not feature a voice cast for its collection of animal characters, instead relying on their real-world sounds and mannerisms for characterization.
All the Animal Characters That Appear in Flow
Cat
The cat is the main protagonist in Flow and despite having no dialogue beyond its naturalistic meows and purrs, the animal instantly steals the hearts of audiences.
When the cat is first introduced in the movie it is shown to be fearful and mistrustful of everything around it, but is also led by its sense of innate curiosity.
Throughout the plot of Flow, the cat learns to face its fears and opens its heart to friends along the way.
Dog
A pack of different dog species is introduced at the beginning of Flow and they are, naturally, shown to be one of the major threats to the cat.
However, a golden labrador quickly steals the show after it is shown trying to befriend the cat. After disappearing initially during the flood, the labrador returns later in the film and becomes a valued crew member of the boat.
Capybara
The giant South American rodent the capybara makes an appearance in Flow as the brave captain of the boat.
The capybara is depicted as a benevolent leader and is responsible for rescuing many of the stranded animals in the flood. It is also generally quite unperturbed by the squabbles that occur on the boat.
Ring-Tailed Lemur
The comic relief of the movie comes in the form of a ring-tailed lemur and its friends. The lemur is very materialistic and is protective of its treasures aboard the boat.
At one point in the movie, the lemur finds a hand mirror and learns the joy of discovering its reflection, which demonstrates the fun and mischievous personality of its character.
Deer
Herds of deer appear intermittently throughout Flow, and while no single deer joins the crew of the boat, their appearances often have a deeper meaning.
Initially, deer are the precursor that warns the cat of the coming flood. Later, deer and elk also appear in the visions of the cat, setting them up to be significant beings.
After the floodwaters recede, a deer stampede appears again which leads the cat to the whale in the final scene.
Secretarybird
The Secretarybirds are one of the most mysterious characters in Flow.
Initially, the birds are introduced as predators and attack the cat, only for the main secretarybird to step in and defend the small creature.
After it is reprimanded by its leader and abandoned, the secretarybird joins the cat's crew and is appointed as the captain of the ship. The secretarybird ultimately meets a strange conclusion in Flow, but it manages to make a meaningful friendship with the cat during its journey.
Fish
Fish are a common species spotted throughout Flow. They are often a source of food for the cat and the other animals aboard the boat and also feature in many of the water scenes following the flood.
The cat's interaction with the fish as it learns to conquer its fear and survive in the water makes for some of the most magical moments in Flow.
Whale
While many of the animal species in Flow are grounded in reality, the film does occupy a fantastical space that is slightly different from present-day reality, and this is made especially clear by the whale.
The whale features the same structure as a real-life whale but with extra fins and tendrils that help it appear more monstrous.
Zilbalodis said in a thread on X that the whale was once intended to mimic the design of a real whale but then he decided to make it appear "more scary:"
"Originally I'd planned for the whale in 'Flow' to look like a real whale, but it needed to be more scary so we decided to redesign it into a more mystical creature."
The whale appears a few times throughout Flow and while it is an imposing figure it ultimately has a deeper connection to the cat and the overall story.
Flow is now available to stream on Max.
