Life, Animated

For my research into autism in the Applied Animation module, my group and I decided to watch 'Life Animated.' The film was released in 2016 and produced and directed by Roger Ross Williams. The film tells the story of 23 year old Owen Suskind and his life, particularly how he deals with the challenges of autism through Disney films. I found the film really touching and it opened my eyes more to what living with autism is actually like, and a better grasp of what people who live with it experience. 

Although most of the film was live action, the animated scenes were really beautiful and i think the style suited the story alot. The animated scenes were used mostly to show points of Owens life when he used Disney animated films as a form of escapism, he would frequently be shown in a world of his own creation, The Land of the Lost Sidekicks, where he was shown as a child, with some of his favourite sidekicks, like Baloo the bear from the Jungle Book, and Sebastian the crab from the Little Mermaid. The darker times in Owens life were shown using a sketchier style of animation with very little colour, which contrasted alot with the vivid scenes when he had learned to cope through Disney films.

 I found it really interesting how he used different points in the films in order to relate to and cope with challenges he faced in real life, like leaving his parents home to live alone, or when his girlfriend broke up with him. It gave me a new appreciation for Disney because of how much it helped him to deal with lifes challenges.