Life, Animated

Owen Suskind was a seemingly healthy child until he was three years old, but then he suddenly stopped speaking. The diagnosis was autism. The only things that interested this young boy, trapped inside his own mind and body were the animated films of Disney. After several years, Owen’s father Ron had a brilliant idea. He put on a hand puppet of the parrot from Aladdin and, speaking in the character’s voice, asked his son: “How does it feel to be you?” The answer was unexpected… For Owen, the fairy-tale world of Disney was a language through which he could read the outside world and translate his own emotions. Armed with this road map, he set off on a journey that saw him take on many different roles: from the downtrodden Hunchback of Notre Dame to the heroic Tarzan, who also struggled with growing up. This tender documentary was met with several minutes of applause at Sundance: a standing ovation not just for the film-maker, but also for Owen, who introduced the screening in person, thus showing that there are no limits to the possibilities of the human mind.

Introduction by Ivica Mägi