Flow (2024)

The review calls the film mysterious, magical and worthy of Studio Ghibli. It praises the film’s timelessly beguiling quality.

Nugent finds Flow a mesmerising, wondrous showcase for animation and a thoughtful story about collaboration. He especially praises its cinematic craft and lifelike animal movement, which make the wordless characters deeply affecting.

Blauvelt calls Flow a moving, groundbreaking animated film that feels both radical and widely accessible. He praises the animals’ lifelike movements and quiet, wordless portrayal, especially the cat’s expressive behavior.

Rooney calls the film a deeply affecting, joyful animated adventure and praises its emotional storytelling. He especially singles out the vivid, hand-crafted-looking animation and the animals’ expressive movement.

Abele calls “Flow” an enchanting, poignant triumph and praises its generous vision of animals learning to persevere together. He especially singles out the film’s fluid, shimmering imagery and behaviorally authentic animal characters.

Scaife praises the film as an immersive, wordless animated story that finds emotional depth without anthropomorphizing its animal characters. He especially commends how their expressions convey feeling and how the film’s images retain mystery without explanatory dialogue.

Strong finds the film charming, warm and emotionally effective, with a gentle approach to its climate-catastrophe themes. She especially praises the lifelike animal behaviour and the heartfelt whale encounter, achieved with accessible animation software.

The review presents the film as a standout at Cannes. It singles out its tour-de-force animation about a cat and fellow tsunami survivors.

The critic finds Flow sophisticated and engaging, praising its distinctive way of building empathy without dialogue. The animal behaviour and low, cat-height camera are singled out for making the story funny and visually distinctive.

Clarke finds the wordless animal adventure gorgeous and full of wonders. She especially praises its beautiful, painterly computer-generated animation and the animals’ lifelike movements.

The review is positive about this dialogue-free animated adventure. It singles out the film’s visual storytelling and animation for praise.

Oller finds Flow an engrossing, ambitious survival fable, though its slapstick comedy sometimes clashes with its apocalyptic seriousness. He praises the detailed animation and sound design for making the animals’ wordless world feel vivid and convincing.

Willmore finds Flow charming and distinctive, though its visual beauty can become oppressively synthetic. She praises the animals’ expressive personalities and their convincing, unsentimental cooperation.

Debruge finds the film captivating and endearing, though its animation has notable technical shortcomings. He praises the cat’s expressive behavior and the group’s journey toward mutual trust.

Hammond calls the film a wondrous, haunting, and profound experience. He especially praises its gorgeous animation and the way its wordless animal adventure explores community.

Kermode calls the film an engrossing adventure and a triumphant piece of filmmaking. She particularly praises its detailed, observant portrayal of animal movement and perspective.

The critic calls Flow one of the year’s best animated films and a uniquely compelling take on the post-apocalypse. They single out its exquisite, picture-book-like animation and naturalistic portrayal of animals.

Bradshaw praises the film as an affecting, wordless environmental parable. She singles out its naturalistic animal characters and their compelling cooperation in the face of disaster.

The critic finds “Flow” harrowing and moving, despite its heavy-handed peril and climate-change allegory. They praise its breathtaking sense of scale and its quieter moments of animal behavior.

Bonaime finds Flow an impressive, experimental animated film, though its animation style and some fantastical moments hold it back. He especially praises how naturally the animals communicate and how much the dialogue-free story conveys.