I found out about this film when Awards Season came around, I read more about what this documentary was about, it sounded like a most interesting true story, and knowing about Autism myself I knew I had to watch it. Basically it is the inspirational true story of Owen Suskind, who as a child was unable to speak due to high anxiety and withdrew himself from everything around him. At the age of 3, his parents were devastated with the news when Owen was diagnosed with Autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning learning difficulties and impaired social interaction, his parents almost lost hope that he would ever come out of his shell. However they found a way to meaningfully communicate with Owen, he loves watching animated films, especially those of Walt Disney Pictures, these were not just entertainment for him, they also helped him to understand elements of the world. Slowly they found Owen contributing to situations around him, communicating through the words and ideas of the characters he loves, including his interest of Disney sidekicks, those who assist the leading character. His father, journalist Ron Suskind, uses his son's obsession to talk to him, imitating the words of the animated films he repeatedly watches. By the time Owen reaches adolescence, he has opened up much more and communicates with everyone around him, he has learned there is more to real life than Disney can illustrate in animation. Owen has formed a group at school for other students with learning difficulties and disabilities to talk about their love for Disney films, he has a girlfriend, this sadly comes to an end but they remain good friends, and Owen's family prepare themselves as he goes through an uncertain future, but him becoming semi-independent, finding employment and speaking before an audience of intellectuals is a positive start. Also featuring contributions from paediatrician, actor Jonathan Freeman (the voice of Jafar from Aladdin) and Gilbert Gottfried (the voice of Iago from Aladdin). It is a fascinating true story of how sensitive parenting and watching tons of kids movies can save a life, Owen is a remarkable and likable personality, normally Disney are reserved about the usage of their material for other sources, this film shows their generosity as they allow many clips of their animated films to be used for illustrative purposes, the film also has it's own original animation that is fantastic. The best moments of this film are seeing how his father had a conversation with his son as a child by using a toy of Iago the parrot from Aladdin and imitating one of Owen's most favourite sidekicks, and the scene where Owen has Freeman attending his group, and his joy when Gottifried makes a surprise appearance, the overall film an immensely rewarding watch, a really feel-good and interesting documentary. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Very good!
Review of Life, Animated
