For years, indie animation companies like ours have been viewed as the underdogs – scrappy, passionate, but rarely taken seriously next to the Pixars and DreamWorks’ of the world. That all changed in 2024 with Flow, a little film from Latvia that shattered the mold. At Luck Dragon Media, we’re still buzzing about what this means for us and our peers.
Flow, a dialogue-free, Blender-made masterpiece follows a cat navigating a flooded, post-human world alongside a quirky crew of animals. Made on an unheard of budget of $3.6 million by a small team from Latvia, it went toe-to-toe with heavyweights like Pixar’s Inside Out 2 ($200 million budget) and The Wild Robot ($78 million) and walked away with the 2025 Oscar for Best Animated Feature. For little studios like ours, Flow isn’t just a win – it’s a seismic shift.
Blender: Free, Open-Source, and now, Industry Standard?
Blender is a free, open-source, 3D modeling and animation software that’s been a lifeline for indie animators like us, and Flow leveraged this tool that’s accessible to anyone with a computer and a dream. Our very own Brad Peterson has been honing his skills in it for over a decade now! Seeing it power an Oscar-winner proves that the playing field is leveling. It shows that indie studios aren’t just competing with the giants anymore – we’re setting the pace.
Small Teams, Big Dreams
One of the most inspiring parts of Flow’s story is its team. This wasn’t a sprawling studio with hundreds of animators; it was a tight-knit group of passionate creators who poured five-and-a-half years into a single vision. Here at Luck Dragon Media, our animation team is just two: a veteran Blender animator, and our newest animation intern (that’s me!); we thrive on the kind of collaboration Flow embodies.
We’re working on a lot of projects ourselves now! With Curtis Curly-Tail looking for support on IndieGoGo, and Time Trek in the works, we’re embracing that small-team-spirit right now!
What’s Next For Indie Animation?
Flow’s success isn’t a fluke. More than ever, audiences crave fresh voices and bold ideas, not just sequels and safe bets. We’re already seeing the effects – more indie projects are getting greenlit, and streamers like Netflix are scooping up hits like The Amazing Digital Circus. For us, it’s a call to double down on what we do best: crafting original stories that hit hard and look stunning, all without breaking the bank. The future feels wide open, and we’re ready to see what’s in store for us!
