Well, everyone, hope you are all back by a great week, and that you all had a fun Valentine’s Day this past Tuesday, whether you have a significant other, or are surprisingly single for the time being. Well, with that said, today, we are going to be diving into the world of documentary films. This time around, we will dive into a documentary that may likely be somewhat unique from your typical documentary movie. So, with that said, let’s be in the lives of the Suskind family, and their journey in their documentary film that was released back in 2016. It is the one, and only, Life, Animated.
Plot: The movie delves into some of the life of Owen Suskind, a man who, at 3 years old, was diagnosed with autism. It then takes the audience on his journey from his childhood, and into some of his early to mid-adult years, and how, when diagnosed with autism, lost his speech for a while. Along the way, we get to witness how Owen’s folks, Rob, and Cornelia, and his older brother, Walter helped Owen regain his speech again, and attempt to communicate with the world around him through watching animated films, particularly those animated films from Walt Disney Animation Studios (i.e. films like Bambi, Aladdin, The Lion King, Hercules, and some of those films), and pretending to interact with some of the fictional animated characters from some of those films.
I will say that part of me was rather surprised to not have first seen this film back in 2016, especially after seeing a trailer for it. I will admit that after watching it, I can kind of relate to Owen, despite not having autism myself. However, I do have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is said to be a step down from autism. Not only that, but I can recall memorizing quite a few animated films, and a few live-action ones as well, when I was younger. Wow, and not to mention that my folks sometimes retell about how, when I was a really, really young kid, I apparently memorized all of the animated version of Charlotte’s Web (which was of course made by Paramount Pictures, and Hanna-Barbera, not Disney).
Anyway, sorry, I just thought I’d take a moment to mention that. Now that that’s out of the way, how is Life, Animated? Well, I’m delighted to say that this film is really fun even for a documentary. Okay, that’s not to say that documentaries aren’t fun to begin with. They can be fun if people would let them be fun, depending on the topics that are covered in any particular documentary film. However, I will just say this, it is pleasantly surprising how enjoyable this one in particular is. First of all, especially for those of us who like Disney animated films, or even animated films that were not made by Disney, I think a lot of us will like this film even more. I mean we get to see clips, and footage of certain animated films from the past. How cool is that? Not only that, but instead of the footage being real-life footage 100% of the time, some of Owen’s life ends up being drawn in the form of animation as well. It’s intriguing how well done some of the animation scenes of this film are. This is especially true when it comes to a scene that, let’s just say, was so clever, and brilliantly well done shortly after the very beginning of this film. Additionally, it’s cool how Owen creatively uses Disney’s animated films in particular to help him either cope, or just joyfully interact with the world around him, as well as use them in different ways to parallel events happening in his life in many different ways. So, with that said, will most people enjoy this film, or will it be mostly those with autism, or even other special needs that enjoy this film? Well, let me put it to you all this way, ladies and gentlemen! First of all, people with autism, or Asperger’s Syndrome, or any other minor, or major disability, or that has issues that impair a person’s social skills, will most likely be the ones to appreciate Life, Animated even more so than those that don’t have those types of social impairments. However, that doesn’t mean that people who don’t have those types of impairments won’t enjoy this film to one degree, or another as well. In fact, I would say that if you’re a parent, or even a young kid, or teenager, or basically any other age for that matter, you should see this film. For one, this film will probably help more people to realize that people with social impairments matter too, and that we should love, and care for them just as much as those without social impairments. That is especially since those with autism, Asperger’s, Down syndrome, you name it have seemed to be ignored, and shunned by society more than those without those kinds of deals. Two, this film will probably help people to realize that people with social impairments end up having rather unique, and intriguing narrow interests. Finally, Life, Animated will help serve as a reminder that people with social issues like these fail to read the room more often than not. Oh, and another thing! If you’re a parent with young kids, definitely have your kids sit down with you to watch it. This film will likely prepare them for issues that they will face as they get older. What’s more is that because of the fact that this film has a most intriguing, and peculiar ending, that will probably help people to have a better understanding about life even more.
Honestly, the only downside might be when Walter ended up giving, or at least thought about giving some advice to Owen at one point that, let’s just say, wasn’t the best. And that’s all I’ll say about that. Moreover, they could have maybe expanded on one, or two people from this documentary that seemed to be slightly underdeveloped. And that’s my review for Life, Animated. It is a fun documentary that will hopefully be eye-opening, but especially fun overall. If you want a documentary that’s fun, upbeat, and interesting, then definitely see this film. Hopefully after seeing this film, it will help us to think about the feelings of those with autism, or any other social impairments, even more so. So, definitely make a point to see Life, Animated, and see what you think!
Final Grade: A-
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 