Life Animated
His imagination unlocked an amazing new world
Imagine being trapped inside a Disney movie and having to learn about life mostly from animated characters dancing across a screen of color. A fantasy? A nightmare?
Life, Animated is the real-life story of Owen Suskind, the son of the Pulitzer Prize—winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia. An autistic boy who couldn’t speak for years, Owen memorized dozens of Disney movies, turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, brotherhood. The family was forced to become animated characters, communicating with him in Disney dialogue and song; until they all emerge, together, revealing how, in darkness, we all literally need stories to survive.
Director
Roger Ross Williams
Producer
Julie Goldman and Roger Ross Williams
Runtime
89 minutes
Rights Represented
Educational Rights
Captions Available
English
Language
English
Press
“…deeply moving…a warm testament to a family’s love and resilience.”
- Variety
“A RADIANT, uplifting story. The film is a DOCUMENTARY GEM.”
- The Hollywood Reporter
“It’s a film to which I believe everyone can relate, an EMOTIONAL POWERHOUSE.”
- RogerEbert.com
“INCREDIBLY MOVING documentary…a must watch.”
- The Guardian
Festival & Awards
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE – Best Feature Documentary
WINNER – Documentary Directing
SUNDANCE Film Festival
WINNER – Audience Award
FULL FRAME Film Festival