Movie Review - Life, Animated

Life, Animated (2016)

Directed by Roger Ross Williams

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

At the age of three, Owen Suskind turned from an outgoing, talkative boy into a silent kid who withdrew from his family.  Diagnosed with autism, Owen's mother, father, and older brother were devastated.  Their one moment of ever seeing sparks of life from Owen was whenever they would watch an animated Disney movie together.  As time progressed, Owen became more talkative -- often repeating lines from Disney films in order to express his feelings -- and he eventually as able to go to a specialty school where he graduated at the age of twenty-three.  Upon his graduation, Owen is able to move out of his parents' home into his own apartment which brings with it a whole new set of difficulties that prove difficult to overcome.

Life, Animated is a documentary that tugs at the heartstrings and, as a self-proclaimed Disney lover, hits close to home for this reviewer.  As viewers, we long for Adam to succeed and the film inherently has us rooting for the young kid.  Unfortunately, the flick feels a bit manipulative and staged at times.  There are several scenes in particular that feel set up simply as a means to advance the story the film wants to push instead of feeling real.  Once again, all documentaries manipulate to push their agenda and Life, Animated is no exception.  Even with that, the film explores autism in a way I haven't experienced before and that, along with the Disney connection, makes it a worthwhile watch.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-