Life Animated

A film by Roger Ross Williams

His imagination unlocked an amazing new world

Imagine being trapped inside a Disney movie and having to learn about life mostly from animated characters dancing across a screen of color. A fantasy? A nightmare?

Life, Animated is the real-life 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, turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, 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.

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Director

Roger Ross Williams

Producer

Julie Goldman and Roger Ross Williams

Runtime

89 minutes

Rights Represented

Educational Rights

Captions Available

English

Language

English

Press

“…deeply moving…a warm testament to a family’s love and resilience.”

- Variety

“A RADIANT, uplifting story. The film is a DOCUMENTARY GEM.”

- The Hollywood Reporter

“It’s a film to which I believe everyone can relate, an EMOTIONAL POWERHOUSE.”

- RogerEbert.com

“INCREDIBLY MOVING documentary…a must watch.”

- The Guardian
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Festival & Awards

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE – Best Feature Documentary
WINNER – Documentary Directing
SUNDANCE Film Festival
WINNER – Audience Award
FULL FRAME Film Festival

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Film Licensing

We distribute films globally but we only hold the rights in particular territories in some cases.

Letting us know what type of group you are will help us get you set up with the right type of license. If you do not fall squarely into one of these categories, select “individual” or contact us at [email protected].

Unsure what you need?
Here are some basic definitions to help! Please visit our FAQs for further information.

  • In-person screening: This license includes the public performance rights required to host a screening for your group and a DVD copy of the film
  • Virtual screening: A link and code that are available for a single 72 hour period
  • Streaming subscriptions: Ongoing streaming access for an institution provided by our partner, Film Platform.  Please note it takes 3-5 business days to get your streaming access set up.  Questions about your set-up – contact [email protected].
  • DVD for classroom use: This is a DVD with permission to share in a classroom only
  • Custom and secure link and code to provide to event participants during designated screening period.
  • Option to receive registration information.

Includes Standard Setup Plus...

  • Custom screening page with your logo and event description
  • Option to add custom video introduction
  • Ability to add custom resources and ‘Calls to Action’
  • Access to participation and attendance analytics

Don’t worry, you can always change this if needed but if you already have a date in mind, it will help expedite the process. Please note it takes 1 week to get your screening set up.

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Life Animated

His imagination unlocked an amazing new world

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