Life, Animated

PG

Released Jul 1, 2016

1h 31m

Documentary

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List

94%

117 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

"The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King" and other animated Disney movies help a young autistic man to develop reading, writing and communication skills.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Audience Member

The greatest and most-real 01 hour: and 31 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was such an absolutely amazing film, and it is so important. We are able to see Owen, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and his journey from graduating to living on his own for the first time, along with some flashbacks and stories from his childhood. He uses animated Disney movies to interpret his own life and make his own unique path. This movie makes huge and important strides for those in the autism community. This movie highlights that people with autism have desires, interests, and hobbies, just like everyone else. For instance, we see Owen in a romantic relationship, discussing topics of sex, wanting to live on his own and get a job, and more. This is incredibly important because, while society has made great strides concerning autism since Owen was born, harmful stereotypes -that people with disabilities such as autism don't have the "normal" desires that others have- unfortunately persist. Another truly transformative thing about this movie is that Owen was not a victim of the tendency of an ableist culture to use people's challenges in an ableist culture as "inspiration". I truly think this film was able to showcase Owen and his life story, without making people pity him. Owen was not constantly looked over by his family, and instead his parents and those around him helped give him the tools that would enable him to live a prosperous and successful life on his own. While in many instances, people with autism may deviate from the type of communication we would consider the "norm," it is no less than how the "norm" communicates. Owen's communication through Disney films was truly so interesting and not any less than the way I communicate on a daily basis. This film shows all aspects of communication in Owen's life. These feelings, these experiences, these challenges, and these highs, are not a one case thing. This film showcases and celebrates Owen's different way of communication, which often in an ableist society, gets beat down. People with this diagnosis are different in their interests, desires, etc. Yet, their differences should not be judged as unacceptable or less than the desires and interests of others, which this film is able to highlight. Additionally, it helps to understand that just because something someone does or the ways that they think are different than what society has accepted as the norm, such as Owen interpreting his life through Disney films, it does not make people with those differences incapable of life nor does it make them any less than everyone else or a victim of being a "token of inspiration." Various misconceptions surrounding autism spectrum disorder were addressed within this film. I would recommend it to anyone to watch during the first free hour and a half interval they have. If everyone were to see this film, I believe it would be a great first step towards the world better understanding ASD. The most powerful moment was at the end, when Owen said something along the lines of "the truth about autistic people is that we want what everyone else wants, but we are sometimes misguided." This film is an outstanding start at a really important conversation, but we still have a long way to go.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Chris J

Such an intriguing look at the life of a child growing up and the effects animated cartoons has on someone with Autism.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/11/19

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies that portrays autism. Roger Ross Williams definitely portrayed Owen's story so well. I was very impressed with how the whole story went through his life journey, from his diagnosis with autism to the ability of coming out of his shell thanks to the Disney movies. Definitely a tear jerker and a MUST SEE for any parent who has a child on the autism spectrum or anyone who wants a more deep understanding of the autistic mind.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

LIFE ANIMATED- 88% A heartbreaking and beautiful light on autism. Life animated had a very intriguing way of showing the life of Owen correlated with Disney. I really enjoyed the animated scenes to tell the story and I wish they used more animation throughout. It is always a very upsetting story to see any family struggle with any kind of illness, The tears of the mother will definitely hit you. I just hope the absolute best for Owen and his beloved family. Story and structure: 4.5/5 Cast" 1.9/2 Camera Work: 1.1/1.5 Sound: 1.3/1.5 Overall Score: 4.4/5

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Puntaje Original: 8.5 Sublime, magistral, introspectiva. Life, Animated nos ofrece una visión escencial sobre el autismo, un formato estupendo de como hacer un documental, que nos cambiará de cierto modo nuestra perspectiva de la vida.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

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Roger Ross Williams

Director

Owen Suskind

Self

Ron Suskind

Self

Jonathan Freeman

Self

Gilbert Gottfried

Self

Alan Rosenblatt

Self

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Life, Animated: Trailer 1

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Christopher Orr

The Atlantic

It is an intimate tale of triumphs and setbacks, but also a story of tremendous consequence.

Mar 16, 2017

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Editor David Teague skilfully places original animated inserts and favourite movie scenes to allow us a brief glimpse into Owen's wonderful Disneyfied psyche.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 30, 2016

Full Review

Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Life, Animated, directed by Roger Ross Williams, is a touching documentary about autism.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Olly Richards

NME (New Musical Express)

Disney-esque cliché, but it's really about how if someone believes in you, you can do incredible things.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 22, 2021

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

His journey into adulthood may be complicated by his autism but his life is not a tragedy. He's every bit as vivacious as those dancing, singing characters in the movies he loves.

Jan 6, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

A warm and inspirational story that celebrates the human spirit.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 14, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

"The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King" and other animated Disney movies help a young autistic man to develop reading, writing and communication skills.

Director: Roger Ross Williams
Producer: Molly Thompson, Robert DeBitetto, Robert Sharenow, Ron Suskind
Screenwriter: Ron Suskind
Distributor: The Orchard
Production Co: Motto Pictures
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Language|A Suggestive Reference)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $244.0K
Runtime: 1h 31m

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