When its home is devastated by a huge flood, “Cat” finds refuge on a drifting boat already occupied by other species (a bird, a capybara, a lemur and a dog). As they float through the vestiges of an annihilated human presence, they have adventures and experiences that help them understand how living beings must learn to share, to trust and to protect the weakest among them.

In this Oscar-winning feature animation from Latvia’s Gints Zilbalodis, the animals sound and act like animals, not some cutesy cartoons. There is no dialog so no need for celebrity voice-overs. I found it unique. When it was over, a friend scrolling through some viewer comments found one that said, “Not for children!”

This is unspeakably sad, and one must wonder about the parenting skills of a person who would say such a thing. First of all, it’s gorgeous, colorful and kinetic, things that instantly draw kids’ attention. Said kids will then receive, probably before any adults in the room cotton to it, a subliminal message about the importance of dropping preconceived notions about strangers and working together with people who don’t look exactly like us.

Well done! (85 min)