Flow is one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2024, and here are the 10 best movies like it. Upon Flow‘s release in 2024, the Latvian animated adventure film immediately took off, with it being praised for its gorgeous animation, story, and lack of dialogue. Flow has been massively successful at film festivals, with it even being nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature Film at the 27th Academy Awards. Flow has garnered a massive fanbase, and here are 10 other films that fans of Flow need to see.
Flow is a wholly unique film, which is why it is so hard to find other movies like it. Director Gints Zilbalodis’ film tells the story of a dark gray cat who lives in a fantasy world not too dissimilar from our own. However, when the cat’s home is flooded, they must join a crew of animal survivors in order to continue living. The film mostly focuses on showing off beautiful animation and scenery while also highlighting the interactions between its crew of animal sailors. While Flow is unlike any other, these movies aren’t too far off.
10
The Wild Robot
2024
The Wild Robot
8/10
- Release Date
-
September 27, 2024
- Runtime
-
101 Minutes
Flow is actually fairly similar to another Best Animated Feature nominee from 2024, with this being DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot. The Wild Robot tells the story of Roz, a robot who finds herself washed up on what seems to be an island devoid of humans. While there, Roz attempts to find her purpose among the animals, with her helping the creatures of the forest survive the harsh conditions of the wilderness.
Much like Flow, The Wild Robot is heavily focused on a group of realistic animal characters as they attempt to survive nature. While Flow takes its story in a fantasy direction, The Wild Robot changes things up by using the framework of a sci-fi movie. This makes both movies worth watching, as they have a lot of similarities, but also each provides unique experiences. The Wild Robot‘s stylized animation also isn’t that far off from what is seen in Flow, furthering the link between the two films.
9
Wall-E
2008
Wall-E
Adventure
Puzzle
Platformer
- Released
-
June 24, 2008
- ESRB
-
E For Everyone
Oddly enough, The Wild Robot isn’t the only robot film that fans of Flow need to watch. Flow also shared a lot of similarities with the critically acclaimed 2008 Pixar movie, Wall-E. Wall-E tells the story of a trash-compacting robot who is left behind on a deserted Earth, with him being tasked with cleaning up the garbage that humanity had left behind.
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The first half of Wall-E is especially close to Flow, with the lack of dialogue being one of the strongest comparisons between the film. Flow and Wall-E also give a heavy focus to nature, although Flow focuses on the abundance of it while Wall-E highlights the lack of it. The silent protagonists of both films are also pretty similar, with both of them being loners who hesitantly are swept away on grand adventures where they learn how to grow close to others.
8
Bolt
2008
Bolt
- Release Date
-
November 21, 2008
- Runtime
-
98 minutes
The forgotten 2008 Disney movie Bolt may not be discussed all that much when looking back on the company’s legacy, but when it comes to Flow, it is hard to find a Disney film that draws more comparisons. Bolt tells the story of the titular canine actor, with him being unable to tell the difference between reality and the TV show that he acts in. After believing that his human co-star and owner has been kidnapped, Bolt joins a cat and a hamster as they go on a cross-country journey to “rescue” her.
Flow and Bolt differ when it comes to tone, with the former focusing on the quietness and beauty of nature and the latter being a more straightforward adventure comedy movie. However, at their core, both movies focus on groups of animals traveling across the country and rediscovering who they are as they do it.
7
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
1993
Although the rest of the entries on this list are animated films, one live-action movie is perfect for fans of Flow. The 1993 Disney movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey tells the story of two dogs and a cat who are boarded by their owners. Upon being left, they become worried that they have been abandoned for good. This leads to the trio breaking out and trekking across the California wilderness in an attempt to reunite with their humans.
Despite being a remake of The Incredible Journey, the 1993 film has become a classic of its own, with it being even more well-known than its predecessor. Like Flow, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is critically acclaimed, with it being an iconic animal movie. Both films also focus on packs of animals traversing through different parts of nature, although Flow does it in an animated fantasy world while Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey does it in the real live-action world.
6
Princess Mononoke
1997
Princess Mononoke
- Release Date
-
July 12, 1997
- Runtime
-
133 Minutes
When it comes to serene movies about the beauty of nature, it is hard to find a studio better at pulling this off than Studio Ghibli. Their 1997 film Princess Mononoke is considered to be one of their best, with it being a must-see for any Ghibli fans. The film takes place in the 14th century, with it focusing on a magical conflict between humans, animals, and the gods.
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Much like Flow, Princess Mononoke is a fantasy film that focuses on a natural world that is incredibly similar to our own. However, slight alterations are made to make the world feel more magical and fantastical. Princess Mononoke is also one of the most beloved animated movies of all time, with it garnering critical acclaim that rivals Flow and the other Best Animated Feature nominees from this year.
5
Brother Bear
2003
Brother Bear
- Release Date
-
October 23, 2003
- Runtime
-
85 minutes
Much like some of the other entries on this list, Brother Bear is an often-forgotten Disney animated movie that has a surprising amount of similarities to Flow. The 2003 animated film tells the story of Kenai, a young Indigenous man who is magically transformed into a bear. In his new body, Kenai must figure out how to return to his original body while meeting new animal characters as well as attempting to survive the hunters that he used to be part of.
Like Flow, Brother Bear also focuses on a group of animal characters traversing across nature together. Brother Bear is all about its main character learning more about himself through his experience with the animals, giving him an incredibly similar arc to the cat from Flow.
4
Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron
2002
DreamWorks Animation has released a lot of animated movies, but one that has an incredibly dedicated fanbase is 2002’s Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The movie tells the story of a mustang stallion who encounters humans for the first time, with them attempting to break and tame him. However, he befriends one of the young humans, leading to them developing a deep bond.
While Matt Damon does provide voice-over narration as the titular horse, the film never actually shows him talking. This makes Spirit a silent protagonist, putting him in the same category as the cat from Flow. On top of that, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron also gives a heavy focus to nature. While Flow focuses on all kinds of fantastical natural realms, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron focuses on the frontier, highlighting the beauty of the Old West.
3
The Red Turtle
2016
The Red Turtle
- Runtime
-
80 minutes
- Writers
-
Michael Dudok de Wit
-
Tom Hudson
The Son as a Young Adult (voice)
-
Baptiste Goy
The Son as a Child (voice)
-
Axel Devillers
The Son as a Baby (voice)
-
Barbara Beretta
The Mother (voice)
Although it may not be as well-known as some of the other entries on this list, it is hard to find a film more similar to Flow than The Red Turtle. The 2016 animated film tells the story of a man who is stranded on an island. However, every time he tries to sail away, a massive red turtle destroys his raft. The man must figure out how to escape while evading the beast, or else he will be stranded forever.
The Red Turtle has an immense amount of parallels to Flow. Firstly, both movies have no dialogue, meaning that they are more focused on visuals than words. Secondly, they have incredibly similar art styles, with the stylized visuals being reminiscent of cel-shading. Finally, most of the conflict in both movies comes from water, with it being the obstacle that stands between both protagonists and their homes.
2
Bambi
1942
Bambi
- Release Date
-
August 14, 1942
- Runtime
-
70 minutes
One of Disney’s earliest animated movies is 1942’s Bambi, and despite its age, its DNA can clearly be seen in Flow. Bambi tells the story of the titular deer, with it growing up in the forest among its animal friends. As it grows, it discovers the hardships of nature and man, with Bambi becoming a fully-grown deer by the end of the film.
Bambi is one of the most commonly-cited animated films when it comes to discussing movies about the beauty of nature. So much of Bambi is dedicated to showing off the beauty and wonders of the forest, making it similar to Flow. The minimal dialogue and animal characters also draw comparisons to Flow, highlighting their similarities even further.
1
Away
2019
Away
- Release Date
-
November 15, 2019
- Runtime
-
75 minutes
- Director
-
Gints Zilbalodis
Finally, any fan of Flow needs to see the 2019 movie Away. Flow is actually director Gints Zilbalodis’ second feature film, with it coming after his feature debut, Away. The movie tells the story of a young man who becomes stranded on an island with nothing but his bike. After becoming friends with a bird, they go on an adventure to get home. Watching a director’s previous films is always a great way to get a better understanding of their works, which is why Zilbalodis’ debut is a perfect companion piece to Flow.