Dogs React to Oscar-Winning Animated Film 'Flow'

Earlier this month, Latvian film Flow took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. The dialogue-free adventure follows a small host of animals navigating the rising flood waters of what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world.

The unique world-building visuals (created entirely in the free 3D software, Blender) and absence of human language make it an intriguing case study in observing or, better yet, understanding canine reactions to on-screen content.

After watching the film with her dog, Daisy, Esther Zuckerman writes for the New York Times:

Watching “Flow” at home (it is streaming on Max) with an animal is an equally delightful experience, but a different one. You may find your attention pulled in two directions as you try to contemplate what this all means to your pet as well as what it means to you.

Zuckerman deems the film's enrapturing use of real animal sounds effective in keeping her dog tuned in to the action, so much so that she seemed, at times, quite stressed watching the animal protagonists traverse perilous situations.

A quick search on TikTok reveals a breadth of videos similarly showcasing this phenomenon of people's pets sitting rapt before the TV screen. Here are just a few:

What Are They Seeing?

Well, for starters, our dogs perceive color on the screen differently because they have dichromatic vision, meaning they can only discern blue and yellow. (For Roch's full guide to canine vision, click here). In this regard, Flow may be particularly canine-catered in that it features quite a bit of blue and yellow imagery.

Additionally, dogs have better motion perception than we do and, in turn, will perceive the image on the screen differently depending on a TV's refresh rate. Although human eyes can't pick up on the flickering of images on screens over 55 hertz, dogs "will see flickers up to 75 hertz."

So, if you recently splurged on a brand new 4K flatscreen that has a higher refresh rate, you've just made TV-watching much more comfortable and enjoyable for your dog to partake in!

As for what kind of content draws dogs to the screen in the first place, fast-moving action scenes, scenes with high-pitched noises, or scenes featuring other animals (real or animated) are some common attention-grabbers.

The band of animated animals in Flow seems to be especially mesmerizing and life-like to dogs because the director and his team went to great lengths studying their animal subjects to make the final product as realistic as possible. Director Gints Zilbalodis' elaborates in a recent Deadline Interview:

Luckily, there’s an analyst library of cat videos and dog videos, and we filmed our own pets and went to the zoo. For the voices, we recorded real animals. And that was important, that they’re not humans mimicking animals.

Still, all of this begs the question of whether our dogs are truly 'fooled' by what they see unfolding on the screen. Many dog owners, including TikTok user @maddiforresst, seem to assume that our four-legged friends are rather dumbfounded by the telly: "Her little brain can not comprehend."

But is that really the case? Even though animal cognition is not the same as human cognition, I don't find that to be sufficient grounds to conclude that our comprehension of the visual world is inherently superior or incomparable. Part of the magic of Flow is how it decenters the normalized human frame and pushes back on anthropocentrism – powerfully appealing to a more universalized interspecies language of storytelling. As film reviewer John Nugent concludes:

This is ultimately a film about collaboration and community, and the collaboration between the talented artists behind it is about as good an example as there has ever been of the power of animation. If you care about creatures without a single word of dialogue being spoken, they’ve done their job. And then some.

All things considered, I do find it plausible to say that dogs, in general, aren't as uniquely moved by or interested in watching the television screen as we are because they rely on their incredible sense of smell far more than their sight.

Unlike humans, dogs spend more brain power on olfactory information than what they take in visually. Since there is no olfactory (smell-related) component associated with on-screen images, this may limit their ability to fully engage or connect with what they're watching. This missing component may also, I assume, suggest to them that what they see on screen is not 'real' in that it's not the same olfactory experience that get outside from day to day. But, hey, this is all conjecture (I'm no canine neuroscientist).

Dog-Friendly Director's Note

Flow Director Gints Zilbalodis took a wholesome moment in his Oscar acceptance speech to thank not only his human collaborators and supporters but also the animals in his life who inspired the film’s characters and emotions: "Thank you to my cats and dogs."

It’s always a heartwarming surprise when beloved pets get a shoutout during an awards speech, and I, for one, am surprised it doesn't happen more often on the Oscars stage. The only other recent example I can recall would be in 2023 when Charlie Mackesy gave a shout-out to his elderly Dachshund who was staying in a hotel (hopefully a dog-friendly one).

Though, oddly enough, it seems like whenever an award-winner does take a moment to thank their dog(s), it’s often met with a polite sea of friendly chuckles from the audience or quickly brushed off by the speaker themselves — as if giving credit to an animal is somehow silly or less meaningful than thanking a co-star or a director.

Maybe it’s because awards speeches are expected to be full of grand, career-defining acknowledgments, and thanking a dog feels too small, too personal, or even too sentimental. Yet, if there’s anything that unites people across all backgrounds, it’s a love for their pets. What could be more universally relatable than recognizing the unconditional love of a dog who’s been there through all the highs and lows?

Oh, and speaking of dog bonds – I leave you with the Flow director's sweet reaction to his double Oscar nomination accompanied by his pup (who was clearly the inspiration behind the lead dog in the film).

For more on the latest trends, developments, and heartwarming stories in the global canine community, keep reading here.

What was your dog's reaction to Flow? Feel free to drop a comment below!