Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world. By evocatively interweaving classic Disney sequences with verite scenes from Owen’s life, the film explores how identification and empathy with characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel forge a conduit for him to understand his feelings and interpret reality. Beautiful, original animations further give form to Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity in a tribe of sidekicks. With an arsenal of narratives at his disposal, Owen rises to meet the challenges of adulthood in this moving coming-of-age tale.

Roger Ross Williams is the director of God Loves Uganda, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, and Music by Prudence, which won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). His latest film, Life, Animated, is based on a book by Pulitzer Prize‒winning journalist Ron Suskind. Williams was the first African American to win an Academy Award for directing or producing a film (short or feature).