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.

The wordless film follows animals forging an unlikely friendship as they fight to survive a natural disaster. But scary flood scenes and existential themes may be a bit much for the youngest viewers.

I’m really moved by the warm reception our film has had, and I hope that you’ll open doors to independent animation filmmakers around the world,” Zibalodis said, accepting the award. “This is the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated.