Laikals
The greatest movie ever made..!
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Ogosmith
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Neil Welch
At the age of 3, Owen Suskind disappeared into the fog of autism. Some years later, as he came out with a garbled quote from The Little Mermaid, his parents realised that their son was still inside there somewhere, and capable of complex thought.This documentary tells Owen's story, and illustrates how Owen - with considerable help - has worked towards building some sort of life with a foothold in everyday conventionality, and has done so by using Disney animated films as reference points.This is a film which should be seen, so I wouldn't want to say more. Owen's journey is daunting, challenging, funny, sad, moving and, ultimately, inspiring. This is an excellent film.
esthercross
I love how art can be used as a tool to capture real life stories and I always love a story that affirms the important role films play in our lives and 'Life Animated' achieves this so brilliantly. I felt incredibly effected by Owens story at may points a little teary! This is testament to how well the journey is retold. The documentary creators, family and Owen gave me as an outsider an emotional insight into to a condition I'd never connected with or fully understood before. The animation sections within the film were breath taking and beautifully illustrated. The flow of the various mediums were well created as home videos would flow into animation that would flow into present day filming and I think it is this careful sequencing which makes the story so poignant to receive.
gmworswick
Never wrote a review on here before, never felt compelled to....until now!! Life Animated is just mind blowing, i cried, i laughed the whole time. If you've had no exposure to Autism this is a must, even if you have, i promise you that you will come away from this film having learnt a great deal. Owen Suskind is the kind of human we should all aspire to be, although his condition makes it difficult for him to perceive 'reality' i don't think i've ever seen anyone who actually has more perspective on life than Owen. It's a stunning piece of motion picture and pulls and tugs on all of your emotions. I've come away with a greater insight into the condition, i have a cousin with extreme autism and it will help me and enable to communicate with him at a more understandable level for him. Please watch this movie, it's a must.
sfdphd
I just saw this film at the SF Film Festival. This film gives you an up close and personal experience of having someone in your family develop autism at a young age after seeming to be fine for their first few years of life. They have home movies that show him playing normally and interacting with the family. Then you see the changes in him and see what it's like to take a child to doctors and try to figure out what's wrong and how to help him. This would be a heart wrenching tale except that this child develops an interest in Disney movies and the parents finally realize that these films are a way to connect with him. His life is entirely changed by that recognition and over time you see him at age 23 able to be an independent young adult. The animation in the film is wonderful. The young man becomes a storyteller too, inspired by the Disney stories. This is a different kind of Disney film but I predict it will last for eternity alongside all the other Disney classics. Kudos to all involved!
