Life, Animated
| Life, Animated | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Roger Ross Williams |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Ron Suskind |
| Based on |
Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism by Ron Suskind |
| Starring |
Jonathan Freeman Gilbert Gottfried Alan Rosenblatt Owen Suskind Ron Suskind |
| Music by | Dylan Stark T. Griffin |
| Cinematography | Tom Bergmann |
| Edited by | David Teague |
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Production
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| Distributed by | The Orchard |
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Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Life, Animated is a 2016 American documentary by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. Life, Animated is based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism, which tells the story of his son, Owen Suskind who struggled with autism and learned how to communicate with the outside world through his love of Disney films.
Upon its release the film received rave reviews from critics and won numerous awards including National Board of Review award for Best Documentary and the Sundance Film Festival award for Best Direction, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature category at the 89th Academy Awards.
Owen Suskind was a boy of considerable promise, until he's diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. As Owen withdrew into his silent state, his parents almost lost hope that he would find some way to meaningfully interact with his world. However, that way was found through animated films, especially those Walt Disney Pictures, which provided Owen a way to understand the world through its stories to the point of creating his own. This film covers the life of Owen and how he manages to become as functional as possible with the help of Disney and his family to the point of having his own life. However, Owen soon learns as well that there is more to real life than what Disney can illustrate in animation even as his family prepares itself for an uncertain future with him.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Life, Animated offers a heartwarming look at one family's journey, and a fascinating message that's more than enough to outweigh its unanswered questions." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 75 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
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