Style
Latvian animation developed in the wider context of Eastern European animation, with influences drawn from Russian animation in particular. [1]
Early Latvian animations were characterized by puppetry and stop motion, as seen in the first professional Latvian animation, Arnold Burovs' 1996 Ki-ke-ri-gū!/Cock-a-doodle-doo! [2]
Many Latvian animators have expressed interest in establishing "a stylistic continuity" and a specifically Latvian style of animation, rather than copying styles pioneered by other countries. This uniquely Latvian style may include a "penchant for surrealist landscapes and bizarre metaphors". Latvian animator Signe Baumane has stated that "Latvian filmmakers operate on a notion of visual metaphors, some of which translate outride of the Latvian context, but some of which don't...American films are more literal". [1]
For much of Latvian history, the country offered no animation programs in schools. As such, many Latvian animators have been self-taught and/or have come from fine art backgrounds. Some Latvian animators have studied in Estonia; the two countries have been involved in multiple animation collaborations. [1]
History
In the 1930s, graphic artist Oļģerts Ābelīte and caricaturist Ernests Rirdāns experimented with the animation technique. [2]
In 1969, a two-person animation team (Roze Stiebra and Ansis Bērziņš) was established by Latvian Television. [3] [4] Stiebra worked as a writer and director, and Bērziņš as a camera operator and (after 1972) a director. [4] Their first film was titled Lietaina diena (English: Rainy Day). [3] The team released an average of two short films each year, utilizing stop motion and materials like cardboard, canvas, celluloid, fabric, and application paper. [3] [4] Many of the films were centered on a poem, song, [3] and a piece of Latvian literature. [4] The first hand-drawn animated Latvian film, Kabata (The Pocket) was created in 1983. [3] [4] In the late 1980s, the Latvian Television animation team, comprising both puppet animators and hand-drawn animators, split off to form their own studio, Dauka, under Riga Film Studio. [3]
The first full-length animated film produced in Latvia was Dauka's Ness un Nesija (1991). In 1992, the puppet animators of Dauka left, leaving the studio to produce only hand-drawn animated films. The puppet animators formed Animacijas Brigade. These two studios were the dominant animation producers in the country until 1995, when Rija Studio was established. [5]
The first computer-animated Latvian film, Aija Bley's Eza Kazocins, was released in 2005. In 2007, the first Latvian animated documentary film, Edmund Jansons' Little Bird's Diary , was released. [3]
In 2010, the country's first animation studio, Dauka, closed. [6] Latvian animation has seen further attention internationally since the 2010s. The 2024 animated film Flow , a Latvian, Belgian, and French co-production, won multiple awards, including the 2025 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the country's first Academy Award. [7] In the aftermath of the film's win, the Latvian government pledged additional funding for animation competitions within Latvia. [8]
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