Life, Animated

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Life, Animated

Community discussion Q&A panel moderated by Kathleen Williamson from Films On Purpose

2016. 89 m. Roger Ross Williams. Roco Films. USA/France. English with subtitles. Rated PG.

Directed by Academy Award-winning documentarian Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated is the 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 and turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, and 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.

Presented in partnership with Pleasantville SEPTA, The Nicholas Center, and Films on Purpose

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"Blending interviews and verité footage with bountiful Disney clips and animated sequences produced by the independent studio Mac Guff, Life, Animated dips in and out of real life and Owen’s fantasies, representing its subject’s delicate world in much the same way that he experiences it."
Eric Kohn, IndieWire

"It’s [a] combination of despair and joy, victories and defeats that make Life, Animated such a compelling rendering of life with autism. Owen has to cope with the same life challenges as anyone else: moving out of home, breaking up with a girlfriend, having a job interview. And Williams doesn’t patronize or sentimentalize his world."
Lanre Bakare, The Guardian

PAST EVENTS

Community discussion Q&A panel moderated by Kathleen Williamson from Films On Purpose

Monday, Sep. 22 2025, 7:00

This event is over. View all of our upcoming events.

Naomi Brickel is the new Project Director for Supported Decision-Making New York (SDMNY), leading the state’s human rights effort to scale up supported decision making as an alternative to guardianship for people with developmental disabilities and autism.
Valerie Jensen is the President and Founder of the Prospector, a non-profit movie theater dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through meaningful employment.
Robert Valli is a longtime participant at The Nicholas Center and moderator of its Agents of Humanity Podcast. A graduate of Nassau Community College, he works as a Production Assistant at Spectrum Designs, and volunteers with Port Provides Pantry and Twin Pines Thrift Store. When he’s not giving back to the community, Robert is the lead singer and keyboardist for the StarGators Band. He’s also a die-hard fan of heavy metal, anime, and movies across all genres.