Flow

I’ve really liked some silent animation in the recent past (_Robot Dreams, The Red Turtle, I Lost My Body_) and this just feels so thin and basic by comparison. The beautiful, inventive animation style is quite enjoyable but the way it constantly aims for the most obvious, shallow emotional beats reminded me of Illumination. The movie itself almost feels like a cat or dog staring at you with its cute eyes begging for you to like it, and while that tends to work on me in real life, it all gets profoundly irritating and manipulative here because there’s no real substance. The characters mostly behave like animals in real life (I honestly don’t know why as it doesn’t make them any easier to connect with, isn’t this exactly why no one likes the ‘live action’ _Lion King_?) so it feels kinda silly and strange whenever it decides to break that rule (e.g. the dogs arriving in the boat). The music is also formulaic, sappy and uninspired. Overall, it’s still quite respectable for some of its technical achievements, but it doesn’t change that the end product feels disingenuous and cynically made. 4.5/10

Despite positive reviews, I found the movie very boring with a slow pace. The animation quality was poor for 2024, likely due to budget constraints. This was unexpected, considering the many sponsors showcased in the title sequence before the movie started. However, the animal movements and reflections were incredibly realistic.