Blender Made Animation, Flow wins big at Oscar

In 2024, the Latvian adventure film Flow won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 2025 Academy Awards. This win is huge for Latvia a small country that has now earned its very first Oscar and a major achievement for its director, Gints Zilbalodis, who is an emerging talent in animated films. Yet, the most striking part of the story is that Flow was made using Blender, a free and open-source software.

Despite using limited technology and relying solely on Blender for its animation, Flow managed to beat popular animated films like Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot. Typically, award-winning animated films come from big studios such as Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks, which have massive budgets and expensive, proprietary software. In contrast, Flow was created on a modest budget with a free tool, marking a historic achievement.

Zilbalodis began working on the film in 2019. At that time, he faced challenges with slow render speeds because he did not have access to the powerful server farms that Hollywood studios use. He needed a solution that would let him work faster and offer more flexibility, so he turned to Blender. In an interview with Blender.org, he mentioned that Blender’s speed and flexibility allowed his team to focus on storytelling rather than being held back by technical issues.

Blender is a free 3D computer graphics software developed by the Blender Foundation and supported mainly by donations. It runs on many operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Artists and creators use Blender to make animated films, visual effects, art, 3D-printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality content, and even video games.

After coming up with the idea for Flow in 2019, Zilbalodis moved into a co-working studio with other artists and developers who were using Blender. This not only helped him improve his skills with the software but also allowed him to connect with professionals who specialized in areas like water simulations.

The story of Flow centers on a cat that searches for safety after a flood. The film required complex water simulations and detailed environmental designs. To achieve this, the team built custom tools within Blender. They collaborated with experts like Martin Upitis, who developed a special add-on for water effects, and Konstantins Visnevskis, who focused on rendering the stylized fur of the animals. The team also worked with co-producers from Belgium and France to enhance character animation and streamline production.

Although the animations in Flow might not be as crisp as those in big-budget films, the movie uses its unique, watercolor-like style to great effect. Director Zilbalodis intentionally chose this aesthetic, which gives the film a distinct character and charm rather than holding it back.