In a big win that underscored the growing prominence of indepedent animation, Gints Zibalodis’ “Flow,” the moving dialog-free tale of a solitary cat’s journey as it learns to survive after a great flood – that was made with open-source software Blender for just $3.

Flow,” the underdog entry from Latvia about a group of animals who band together to survive natural disaster, won out against big Hollywood nominees. The other contenders for best animated feature included Pixar’s global blockbuster “Inside Out 2” and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,

Flow' wins the Best Animated Feature Oscar, the first indie winner of this category since its inception at the 2002 ceremony where 'Shrek' won.

Flow” won the Oscar for animated feature at Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, which aired starting at 2 a.m. Monday, in an upset over DreamWorks Animations’ “The Wild Robot.” The Oscar statuette is the latest source of hometown pride for the Baltic country of nearly 1.

Flow’ Becomes First Latvian Film to Win Academy Award for Animated Feature LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Flow,″ a wordless cat parable, won the Oscar for animated feature at Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards. The win gives Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis his first Academy Award.

RIGA — "Flow", a dialogue-free tale of animals surviving disaster, scored Sunday's Oscar for best animated feature, capping a remarkable awards season for the Latvian film made on a minuscule budget.

Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis' unexpected Oscar contender — and now winner — has been welcomed with open arms this award season.