Flow (2024) 3D?

[BluBonnet]

Charades Boards Animated Feature ‘Flow’ from ‘Away’ Director Ahead of Annecy’s WIP Showcase

Charades (“Mirai,” “I Lost My Body”) has acquired “Flow,” a 3D animated feature directed by Gints Zilbalodis, the Annie-nominated filmmaker of “Away”.

Produced by Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well Studio and Take Five, “Flow” will be presented in the Work-in-Progress section in Annecy.

Zilbalodis penned the feature with Matiss Kaza at Dream Well Studio and Ron Dyens (“Barking Island”) at Sacrebleu Productions who are acting as co-writers and producers.

“Flow” is currently in production in Marseille, Paris and Bruxelles, with an expected delivery date during the second quarter of 2024.

“Flow” is set in the aftermath of a terrible flood that ravages the world and follows a stubbornly independent cat who is forced to share a boat with a group of other animals. Getting along with them proves to be an even greater challenge than surviving the flood.

Zilbalodis, a Latvian filmmaker and animator, made his feature debut at the age of 24 with “Away.” The movie won the Contrechamp Prize for best feature film at Annecy. “Away” was also selected at over 85 festivals, sold in 18 territories, and earned a nomination at the Annie Awards. Prior to “Away,” Zilbalodis directed seven short films, spanning hand-drawn, 3D animation and live action.

“As a fan of many films that Charades has worked on, I feel that they’re the perfect fit for bringing a unique and personal story like ‘Flow’ to audiences worldwide,” said Zilbalodis.

The animated feature will be released by UFO Distribution. It was produced in association with Arte France, Canal+ and Ciné +, supported by the Latvian Film Center.

“Flow” is an “allegory of the social and political situations we face in these difficult times, through the animals and their misadventures. Individualism and collectivism collide within this band,” said Charades.

“We were blown away by Gints first feature film ‘Away,’ which he did alone. Imagining what Flow would be with the support and inspiration brought by a whole team was another reason to believe in Gint’s very unique yet universal story telling,” said Yohann Comte at Charades.

Dyens said, “The same day I saw ‘Away,’ I contacted Gints and suggested we work together. Sacrebleu is honored to be involved in this incredibly spiritual work.”

Kaza said, “This is my first animated project as a co-writer and producer, and working together with Gints in his immersive and poetic style has been an absolute joy. We hope to bring that joy to audiences already next year with the help of our partners in France and Belgium – it will be a transformative and epic audiovisual adventure.”

[3dblurayofsunshine]

3D animated in this case might just mean 3D CGI, not that the movie is in stereo.

[BluBonnet]

I don't think anyone calls them "3D CGI" movies unless they're actually in 3D

[BleedOrange11]

Here is an example of "3D animation" referring to CGI, not stereoscopic 3D.

Zilbalodis directed seven short films, spanning hand-drawn, 3D animation and live action.

It's unfortunate that these terms for completely different things cross over with the same English word.

[BluBonnet]

If they don't make a 3D version of this, fine, delete the thread, I'm just trying to keep a little optimism...

[3dblurayofsunshine]

It’s not about optimism, it’s just that 99% of the time ‘3D animated’ specifically means 3D CGI. You’re right, people don’t call it 3D CGI, they call it 3D animation, I was just being extra specific. 3D animation is an established term, hence why this most likely isn’t a 3D stereoscopic movie.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I don't think anyone calls them "3D CGI" movies unless they're actually in 3D

Unfortunately they do, as annoying and confusing as it is.

Originally Posted by 3dblurayofsunshine

It’s not about optimism, it’s just that 99% of the time ‘3D animated’ specifically means 3D CGI. You’re right, people don’t call it 3D CGI, they call it 3D animation, I was just being extra specific. 3D animation is an established term, hence why this most likely isn’t a 3D stereoscopic movie.

This is exactly the way I see it. Cartoons and animated features all used to be 2D until Toy Story came along and since then they have generally been referred to as 3D animation because they involve the production of animated 3D models in a computer. Nothing to do with stereoscopy.

Of course, once you have those models in the computer it's easy enough to render a second eye, which is what Pixar did with their pre-Up back catalogue.

The bottom line is this. Please don't create threads here for movies until it's confirmed somewhere that they are being shot/rendered or converted to 3D.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by the13thman

The bottom line is this. Please don't create threads here for movies until it's confirmed somewhere that they are being shot/rendered or converted to 3D.

Alright.

Won't create a thread in the 3D forum again unless it's been confirmed that it's been converted.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Alright.

Won't create a thread in the 3D forum again unless it's been confirmed that it's been converted.

Thanks, all that's necessary is some indication of a 3D release, be that native or converted.

Who knows, maybe this one will get a true stereoscopic release, though I feel that's unlikely given the trend towards dumping everything out flat.