Life, Animated

An autistic boy trapped in a world of silence finds a key to freedom and connection through Disney movies in Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams’ incredible and uplifting documentary. When Owen Suskind suddenly stopped talking at age three, doctors feared he might never recover the ability to speak. For years, he was unable to express his thoughts and feelings, even with his family— but he did watch Disney films, over and over. Then one day, his parents discovered that what they believed to be gibberish was actually dialogue from Disney films like “The Little Mermaid,” and Owen was using that dialogue to communicate about his life. The exaggerated facial expressions and emotions of characters like “Aladdin’s” Jafar taught Owen social cues, giving him a basis for reconnecting with the world around him. Weaving together classic Disney sequences with delightful original animation illustrating Owen’s inner world, this powerful documentary proves that fairy tales can create magic in the real world. In Person: Subject Cornelia Suskind.