Past screening

Life, Animated

Directed by: Roger Ross Williams
Runtime: 1hr 32min Year: 2016
Watch trailer

Details

Directed by: Roger Ross Williams
Runtime: 1hr 32min Year: 2016
Country: United States, France

The inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young autistic man who discovered a unique way to communicate with the world around him through the magic of classic Disney films.

★★★★★ “A must-watch” – The Guardian

★★★★ “Inspiring and life-affirming” – Heat

Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world. By evocatively interweaving classic Disney sequences with verite scenes from Owen’s life, the film explores how identification and empathy with characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel forge a conduit for him to understand his feelings and interpret reality.

Beautiful, original animations further give form to Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity in a tribe of sidekicks.

With an arsenal of narratives at his disposal, Owen rises to meet the challenges of adulthood in this moving coming-of-age tale.