Life, Animated is a magical documentary about a distinctly un-magical situation. At age 3, Owen Suskind, an otherwise happy child, stops talking altogether. His frightened parents take him to doctors, where he is soon diagnosed with autism. In the 1990s, the prognostic isn’t good, and the consensus is that he may never speak again. And yet. And yet. In a turn of events not dissimilar to those of the stories they portray, Disney films suddenly appear to be the key to Owen communicating with the world again. Through his passion for the animated musicals, he teaches himself how to speak and how to read. Documentary maker Roger Ross Williams, who won an Oscar for his documentary short Music by Prudence, in this documentary adapts a book by Owen’s father, Ron Suskind, of the same name.
When we first meet Owen, he’s a grown man in his early twenties. He is also a short while away from graduating from a specialised school and moving out from the family home into his own apartment, within an assisted living community. Throughout Life, Animated, Williams interweaves the first turning point of Owen’s life – the loss of his ability to speak – with his current one – his transition to life as an adult. He does it with the deftness of a seasoned storyteller: these two phases of Owen’s life echo each other in a rather moving way. Williams supplements the story with the Suskind’s home videos, footage from classic Disney films, and original animation, gorgeously crafted by the French studio Mac Guff.
It’s difficult not to fall in love with Owen from the start. His enthusiasm, especially for all things Disney, has helped him conquer everything: he’s working hard to build his independence, and is building close relationships with his parents, his brother Walt, his classmates, and his girlfriend. From his miraculous, Disney-themed recovery to his present rite of passage, his life seems to be, against all odds, blessed with magical moments (which Williams happily documents).
But despite the world Owen has created for himself, his life, like everyone’s, has dark patches. He was bullied repeatedly at school; his relationship with his girlfriend suffers ups and downs; his new place is miles away from where his parents live. And of course, Disney films aren’t real life, which means that Owen has to make sense of a whole host of situations without their guidance.
Williams is a family friend of the Suskinds, and as such, seems to have been allowed into their private life with few limitations. Owen’s parents, Cornelia and Ron are both eloquent and tell the story of their son with elegance, thoughtfulness, and apparent worry. One of William’s most poignant interviewees is Walt, Owen’s brother. His birthday, he says, always reminds him that one day he will be the sole person responsible for caring for his brother. It’s something that he’s been preparing his whole life for, he adds, but that still sometimes feels like an overwhelming burden.
And so it’s impossible not to be left wondering what would have happened, had Owen’s parents not been so supportive; had they not had the means to put him through specialised schools; and had he not encountered people with the open-mindedness to engage with him. The documentary doesn’t address this head-on, preferring to centre on its subject’s individual story, yet the question really underlies everything about Owen’s life.
Life Animated, is a heart-warming, honest and thoughtful film about how a family made magic out of adversity. Owen’s infectious personality and Williams’ captivating storytelling makes for a challenging and cheering watch that will even please documentary sceptics.
