^{Credits: Dog of God (Tritone Studio, Lumiere Lab) & Flow (Dream Well Studio)}

Last awards season, Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow not only won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but also got nominated for Best International Feature Film. This year, Latvia has selected another animated film as their Best International Feature submission, Dog of God from directors Lauris Ābele and Raitis Ābele. Mixing elements of horror, humor, and folklore, Dog of God is a very different film from Flow. With Flow bringing Latvia its first Oscar nominations ever, though, Dog of God should be on the Academy’s radar for both Best Animated Feature and International Feature consideration.

Flow was the third animated film to break into the Best Animated Feature race, the others being 2008’s Waltz with Bashir and 2021’s Flee. Although only three animated films have been nominated in the category’s history, several have been submitted for consideration over the decades. France entered Persepolis in 2007, Switzerland entered My Life as a Courgette in 2016, and Poland entered The Peasants in 2023. The same year that Flow got double nominations, Pakistan submitted The Glassworker, the country’s first hand-drawn animated feature, and Palestine submitted the partially animated anthology From Ground Zero for Best International Feature consideration.

Over the years, Japan has selected more than a few animated films as their Best Animated Feature player, including Pom Poko, Princess Mononoke, and Weathering with You. 2025 has been a monumental year for Japanese animation in the U.S. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle broke box office records in Japan and the States. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, ChaO, and Scarlet are just some of the other Japanese films that could contend for Best Animated Feature this year. In Best International Feature, though, Japan has chosen the live-action drama Kokuho as their contender.

In 2019, China picked the blockbuster Ne Zha as their Best International Feature entry. Ne Zha 2 was even bigger this year, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Instead of Ne Zha 2, though, China is going with Dead to Rights as their International Feature player. France shortlisted Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco as one of four finalists for their International Feature submission. The country ultimately went with Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident instead. Many awards experts are predicting It Was Just an Accident to be nominated along with Norway’s Sentimental Value and Brazil’s The Secret Agent.

While those three films seem secure, there are still two slots open. No Other Choice, Sound of Falling, and The President’s Cake are just some of the other international films in the Oscar conversation. Perhaps Dog of God can follow in Flow’s footsteps, though. The surreal, rotoscope film will be distributed in North America through Cartuna, which picked up Julian Glander’s Boys Go to Jupiter with Irony Point this year, too. Dog of God has also been shortlisted at the 38th European Film Awards for Best Animated Feature Film, which Flow won last year.

Flow and Dog of God aren’t the only animated films that Latvia has ever selected as their Best International Feature Oscar entry. Signe Baumane’s Rocks in My Pockets was in contention in 2014. Despite not being nominated, it was an early sign that Latvia was on the verge of a breakthrough in the animation and awards scenes. It’s only fitting that Latvia has gone from an animated film centered on a cat to another potential Oscar player about a dog… or a werewolf, if we’re getting technical!

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!