Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not yet seen “Don’t Look Up.”
At the beginning of Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” Michigan State astronomy grad student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a new comet. With her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), they realize it’s heading toward Earth, and will cause an extinction-level-event for the entire planet in a little over six months. For the rest of the movie, Kate, Randall and Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), of the, uh, Planetary Defense Coordination Office try to convince those in charge — U.S. President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) and billionaire tech mogul Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance) — to do something about it. The problem is likely solvable, if the world unites together to try to fix it.
So you can probably guess how the movie ends — the Earth is destroyed. Isherwell convinces President Orlean to wait until the...
At the beginning of Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” Michigan State astronomy grad student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a new comet. With her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), they realize it’s heading toward Earth, and will cause an extinction-level-event for the entire planet in a little over six months. For the rest of the movie, Kate, Randall and Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), of the, uh, Planetary Defense Coordination Office try to convince those in charge — U.S. President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) and billionaire tech mogul Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance) — to do something about it. The problem is likely solvable, if the world unites together to try to fix it.
So you can probably guess how the movie ends — the Earth is destroyed. Isherwell convinces President Orlean to wait until the...
- 12/27/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
Ron Suskind has closely covered Dick Cheney and the George W Bush White House as a journalist and author of The One Percent Doctrine and The Price Of Loyalty, and he was the executive producer of the Emmy-winning Oscar-nominated feature documentary Life, Animated. His bold reporting included an inflammatory report that the blueprints for the Iraq invasion were drawn up way before 9/11, something that seems all too obvious when you watch Vice. Suskind acted as consultant for Adam McKay as The Big Short director tore down the curtain built by the most powerful Vice President in American history, depicted in the film as the true power behind the George W. Bush administration. Vice is up for eight Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for Christian Bale as Cheney, Amy Adams for her role as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell for his role as George W. Bush, and McKay for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
- 2/16/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Life, Animated, director Roger Ross Williams, 43, faced a unique challenge. The film recounts the singular story of Owen Suskind, an autistic boy who learned to speak by mimicking the characters in Disney animated movies. Williams — an Oscar winner for the 2010 short doc Music for Prudence and a member of the Academy's board of directors — had access to home footage shot by Owen's father, journalist Ron Suskind, and he conducted new interviews with Owen, now a young man, as he ventured out into the world. But how would he dramatize the...
- 2/3/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Fire at Sea’ (Courtesy: Tiff)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The nominations for the 2017 Academy Awards were announced bright and early this morning and, while there were plenty snubs, we want to talk about one surprise: the inclusion of Fire at Sea in the best documentary feature category. The surprise here isn’t that the film was actually nominated but that, as a foreign film, it joins a rather small group of films that have done exactly that. So, what is the track record of foreign films in the best documentary feature category?
When the nominations were read, Fire at Sea (written and directed by Gianfranco Rosi) found itself competing alongside I Am Not Your Negro (directed by Raoul Peck and co-written by Peck and James Baldwin); Live, Animated (directed by Roger Ross Williams and written by Ron Suskind); O.J.: Made in America (directed by Ezra Edelman), and 13th (directed...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The nominations for the 2017 Academy Awards were announced bright and early this morning and, while there were plenty snubs, we want to talk about one surprise: the inclusion of Fire at Sea in the best documentary feature category. The surprise here isn’t that the film was actually nominated but that, as a foreign film, it joins a rather small group of films that have done exactly that. So, what is the track record of foreign films in the best documentary feature category?
When the nominations were read, Fire at Sea (written and directed by Gianfranco Rosi) found itself competing alongside I Am Not Your Negro (directed by Raoul Peck and co-written by Peck and James Baldwin); Live, Animated (directed by Roger Ross Williams and written by Ron Suskind); O.J.: Made in America (directed by Ezra Edelman), and 13th (directed...
- 1/25/2017
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
Earlier this week, Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evelyn, hosted a party in celebration of the acclaimed, Oscar-shortlisted documentary Life, Animated. The film explores how Owen Suskind, the autistic son of Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia, learned how to express his emotions and communicate with others, including his parents, through Disney movies.
The Colberts first saw the film at the Montclair Film Festival, which they've long been involved with, with Stephen even hosting a post-screening Q&A with director Roger Ross Williams after the movie opened the 2016 edition of the New Jersey...
The Colberts first saw the film at the Montclair Film Festival, which they've long been involved with, with Stephen even hosting a post-screening Q&A with director Roger Ross Williams after the movie opened the 2016 edition of the New Jersey...
- 12/17/2016
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The filmmaker returns to the subject of alienation with his new documentary about a young autistic man who uses Disney films to make sense of the world
Three years ago, Roger Ross Williams was looking around for the subject of his next documentary. He had become the first African American filmmaker to win a directing Oscar, awarded for his short film Music By Prudence, which was about a severely disabled Zimbabwean woman, Prudence Mabhena, who overcame prejudice to become a singer-songwriter. In the feature-length God Loves Uganda he charted the campaign in that country to make homosexuality punishable by death. Then an old friend, the Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, told him about the book he and his wife Cordelia were writing about their son, Owen, who developed autism at the age of two. Owen had only begun to make contact again through dialogue from his beloved Walt Disney films.
Three years ago, Roger Ross Williams was looking around for the subject of his next documentary. He had become the first African American filmmaker to win a directing Oscar, awarded for his short film Music By Prudence, which was about a severely disabled Zimbabwean woman, Prudence Mabhena, who overcame prejudice to become a singer-songwriter. In the feature-length God Loves Uganda he charted the campaign in that country to make homosexuality punishable by death. Then an old friend, the Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, told him about the book he and his wife Cordelia were writing about their son, Owen, who developed autism at the age of two. Owen had only begun to make contact again through dialogue from his beloved Walt Disney films.
- 12/8/2016
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ron Suskind says he originally saw Donald Trump’s candidacy for its “entertainment side,” Trump being a reality show actor. But since Debate 3, he thinks the Gop’s nominee is “a darker thing.” “That last debate he was actually pretty good – not sniffing, speaking in full sentences – for the first half hour. But, in the end people said he lost becuase, in the end he would not accede to accepting the outcome. ‘I”ll keep you in…...
- 11/4/2016
- Deadline TV
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence.
The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires. Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him. Life, Animated...
The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires. Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him. Life, Animated...
- 7/23/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – The mystery of the particulars within an autistic mind is a theme in a new documentary, as a man named Owen Suskind is profiled through his personal breakthroughs using the animated films of the Walt Disney Studios. Director Roger Ross Williams introduces the unusual journey in the compelling “Life, Animated.”
Based on the book by main subject’s father, Ron Suskind, the story is about Owen’s struggle to understand the world around him, while his autistic condition prevents clear comprehension. Now a grown man, he must transition into a halfway house to live on his own. All the while, it has been the animated films of the Walt Disney studios that have been his guiding life force, from boyhood to manhood.
The Disney Life of Owen Suskind is Explored in ‘Life, Animated’
Photo credit: The Orchard
Roger Ross Williams is a former broadcast journalist, and won an Oscar...
Based on the book by main subject’s father, Ron Suskind, the story is about Owen’s struggle to understand the world around him, while his autistic condition prevents clear comprehension. Now a grown man, he must transition into a halfway house to live on his own. All the while, it has been the animated films of the Walt Disney studios that have been his guiding life force, from boyhood to manhood.
The Disney Life of Owen Suskind is Explored in ‘Life, Animated’
Photo credit: The Orchard
Roger Ross Williams is a former broadcast journalist, and won an Oscar...
- 7/20/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Jon Stewart fans, how’s this for your moment of zen?
The former Daily Show host has been confirmed for Monday’s Late Show, where he will appear opposite pal Stephen Colbert as he kicks off a week of live broadcasts focused exclusively on the Republican National Convention. The news was first reported by Vulture.
RelatedStephen Colbert Reveals Lol Themes, Guests for Live Convention Shows
Though little is known about the capacity to which Stewart will be used, he is one of four guests penciled in for Night 1 of Colbert’s “2016 Trumpublican Donational Conventrump Starring Donald Trump as the...
The former Daily Show host has been confirmed for Monday’s Late Show, where he will appear opposite pal Stephen Colbert as he kicks off a week of live broadcasts focused exclusively on the Republican National Convention. The news was first reported by Vulture.
RelatedStephen Colbert Reveals Lol Themes, Guests for Live Convention Shows
Though little is known about the capacity to which Stewart will be used, he is one of four guests penciled in for Night 1 of Colbert’s “2016 Trumpublican Donational Conventrump Starring Donald Trump as the...
- 7/15/2016
- TVLine.com
Disney characters are so beloved that it’s easy to forget they’re also commercial products, united by the marketing heft of a massive corporate entity. Their history is also riddled with culturally problematic representations, from the Middle Eastern stereotypes of “Aladdin” to the black crows of “Dumbo.” But such a skeptical reading is irrelevant to the appeal of “Life, Animated,” documentarian Roger Ross William’s straightforward but innately touching look at a young man with autism for whom Disney characters represent salvation from his condition. It’s the best Disney movie that Disney didn’t make.
Williams (who won an Oscar for his short “Music By Prudence”) follows up his look at homophobia in “God Loves Uganda” with a far more intimate project. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind’s book, “Life, Animated” revolves around the plight facing Suskind’s autistic son Owen, who spent several years of...
Williams (who won an Oscar for his short “Music By Prudence”) follows up his look at homophobia in “God Loves Uganda” with a far more intimate project. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind’s book, “Life, Animated” revolves around the plight facing Suskind’s autistic son Owen, who spent several years of...
- 7/3/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Directed by Academy Award-winner Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated, won the directing award in the U.S. documentary competition at Sundance earlier this year before making the festival circuit. Based on the bestselling book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, the documentary tells the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man with autism who connects to the world through animated Disney films. The film, which just got its first trailer (above), follows Owen as he takes his first steps towards independence. Interweaving classic Disney sequences with scenes from Owen’s life, the film’s original animation provides access to Owen’s amazing imagination. “Owen’s world and […]...
- 6/14/2016
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
We all have our own wonderful memories of growing up with the animated films of Disney. Our lives have all been touched by them in one way or another, but they changed the life of a boy named Owen Suskind. He was diagnosed with autism at a young age, and these Disney movies helped him cope with the autism and helped him connect with the real world that he struggled to understand.
Today we have a trailer for a documentary called Life, Animated, which tells the story of Owen who is now in his twenties and setting out on the adventure of living on his own. His story is told through video footage from his life as well as beautifully animated sequences.
This looks like an inspiring and thoughtful film that will be worth checking out. It premiered Sundance earlier this year, but I didn't get a chance to see it. I heard from several colleagues that the film was incredible, though. I can’t wait to check it out! Here are the full details for the doc:
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence. The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires.Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him.Life, Animated evocatively interweaves classic Disney sequences with verite scenes from Owen’s life in order to explore how his identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret reality. Beautiful, original animations offer rich insights into Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity as a member in a tribe of sidekicks.Owen’s story is a moving testament to the many ways in which stories can serve as a means of persevering through the dark times, leading us all toward the light.
Life, Animated opens on July 1st, 2016.
Today we have a trailer for a documentary called Life, Animated, which tells the story of Owen who is now in his twenties and setting out on the adventure of living on his own. His story is told through video footage from his life as well as beautifully animated sequences.
This looks like an inspiring and thoughtful film that will be worth checking out. It premiered Sundance earlier this year, but I didn't get a chance to see it. I heard from several colleagues that the film was incredible, though. I can’t wait to check it out! Here are the full details for the doc:
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence. The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires.Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him.Life, Animated evocatively interweaves classic Disney sequences with verite scenes from Owen’s life in order to explore how his identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret reality. Beautiful, original animations offer rich insights into Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity as a member in a tribe of sidekicks.Owen’s story is a moving testament to the many ways in which stories can serve as a means of persevering through the dark times, leading us all toward the light.
Life, Animated opens on July 1st, 2016.
- 6/14/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Here’s another documentary that’s been getting great reviews on the festival circuit this year, having picked up a Directing Award at Sundance and even a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize. Life, Animated is based on the book by Ron Suskind and tells the extraordinary story of his son Owen, who was diagnosed with autism […]...
- 6/13/2016
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Stories can be avenues through which we explore, discover and understand our own emotions. After all, everyone has that movie that helped lead him/her out of dark times. As for Owen Suskind, son of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, he has many. Suddenly becoming voiceless and diagnosed with autism at the age of three, Owen struggled to express himself. It wasn’t until watching Disney animated classics like “The Jungle Book” or “The Lion King” that he found his voice as the themes of the films offered him means of navigating his emotions and traversing the world. The documentary that captured this story, “Life, Animated,” released its first trailer this past week.
Read More: Sundance Exclusive: Moving Clip from ‘Life, Animated’ Highlights How Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ Connected With An Autistic Boy
Per the official release, the film, often through its own animation of Owen’s journey, explores “how his identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret reality.” As we watch Owen find words again through the power of movies, perhaps we’ll be able to explore ourselves through the power of his story.
Check out the trailer above! “Life, Animated” is set to release on July 1st.
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our festivals newsletter here.
Related storiesReview: 'The Witness' Throws Shocking New Light On New York's Most Infamous MurderHow Morgan Neville Kept Chelsea Handler Honest (Emmy Watch)James Cordon, Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne Film Funny Doc About Their Crosswalk Rendition Of 'The Lion King' Musical...
Read More: Sundance Exclusive: Moving Clip from ‘Life, Animated’ Highlights How Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ Connected With An Autistic Boy
Per the official release, the film, often through its own animation of Owen’s journey, explores “how his identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret reality.” As we watch Owen find words again through the power of movies, perhaps we’ll be able to explore ourselves through the power of his story.
Check out the trailer above! “Life, Animated” is set to release on July 1st.
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our festivals newsletter here.
Related storiesReview: 'The Witness' Throws Shocking New Light On New York's Most Infamous MurderHow Morgan Neville Kept Chelsea Handler Honest (Emmy Watch)James Cordon, Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne Film Funny Doc About Their Crosswalk Rendition Of 'The Lion King' Musical...
- 6/13/2016
- by Kyle Kizu
- Indiewire
Life, Animated, which won the Directing Award at Sundance this year, has sold to multiple territories.
UK documentary distributor Dogwoof has closed deals for two more titles here in Cannes.
Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams’ Life Animated, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning the Directing Award, has sold to multiple territories: Japan (Transformer), Hong Kong (Edko), Scandinavia (Non Stop), Cis (CD Kino) and F.Yugoslavia (M.R.T.N. Media).
Based on a book by Pulitzer prize winning author Ron Suskind, the film is about Ron’s son, who after being diagnosed as autistic sunk into a silent world of his own. It was only through Disney animation films that he found a way of communicating with his family and the outside world.
The Orchard are set to release the film in the Us in July in an awards berth.
Dogwoof has also closed a deal for Jeff Feuerzeig’s (The Devil and Daniel...
UK documentary distributor Dogwoof has closed deals for two more titles here in Cannes.
Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams’ Life Animated, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning the Directing Award, has sold to multiple territories: Japan (Transformer), Hong Kong (Edko), Scandinavia (Non Stop), Cis (CD Kino) and F.Yugoslavia (M.R.T.N. Media).
Based on a book by Pulitzer prize winning author Ron Suskind, the film is about Ron’s son, who after being diagnosed as autistic sunk into a silent world of his own. It was only through Disney animation films that he found a way of communicating with his family and the outside world.
The Orchard are set to release the film in the Us in July in an awards berth.
Dogwoof has also closed a deal for Jeff Feuerzeig’s (The Devil and Daniel...
- 5/13/2016
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – The Chicago Film Critics Association (Ccfa) has announced the first wave of films that will be presented at the 4th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff). The fest dates are May 20th to the 26th, 2016, will it will take place at the historic Music Box Theatre in Chicago.
The 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival is scheduled for May 20 through May 26, 2016.
Photo credit: Cfca
The Ccff is the first film festival curated by film critics, and features a selection of films comprised of recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works from a wide variety of filmmakers. Passes are now on sale (information below), and the following seven films are just a sampling of over 25 films that will screen during the festival.
Beauty and the Beast: Christophe Gans, the director of such films as “Brotherhood of the Wolf” and “Silent Hill,” unites two of France’s biggest stars, Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux,...
The 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival is scheduled for May 20 through May 26, 2016.
Photo credit: Cfca
The Ccff is the first film festival curated by film critics, and features a selection of films comprised of recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works from a wide variety of filmmakers. Passes are now on sale (information below), and the following seven films are just a sampling of over 25 films that will screen during the festival.
Beauty and the Beast: Christophe Gans, the director of such films as “Brotherhood of the Wolf” and “Silent Hill,” unites two of France’s biggest stars, Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux,...
- 3/9/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Another uplifting, inspirational documentary on the subject of autism and one family’s struggles, Life, Animated follows the story of the Suskind family and the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, Owen. Ron, in direct address, tells us the painful story of Owen’s decline, from a happy child to one with failing motor and social skills at age three. Like last year’s Sundance hit How To Dance in Ohio, Life Animated is a personal portrait of youth and family afflicted by autism. Providing some comfort to affected families, Owen slowly learns to live on his own, he falls in love, gets his heart broken, lands a job and helps others in his community.
Although he doesn’t yet resort to online dating as seen in Julie Sokolow’s witty Aspie Seeks Love (a film that was on the festival circuit last year that is worth mentioning alongside...
Although he doesn’t yet resort to online dating as seen in Julie Sokolow’s witty Aspie Seeks Love (a film that was on the festival circuit last year that is worth mentioning alongside...
- 2/4/2016
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Read More: Sundance Exclusive: Moving Clip From 'Life, Animated' Highlights How Disney's 'Aladdin' Connected With An Autistic Boy The Orchard has acquired North American distribution rights to Roger Ross Williams' documentary, "Life, Animated." The film has been acquired from A&E IndieFilms. The doc, which earned Williams the U.S. Documentary Directing Award at the festival, is based on the bestselling book, “Life Animated: A Story of Sidekicks," from Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Suskind. The official synopsis reads: "'Life, Animated' is a coming-of-age story about Owen Suskind, who ceased speaking at three years old, disappearing into autism. The film tells the story of how Owen found a pathway to language in Disney animation, and a framework for making sense of the world." "'Life, Animated' is about the power of movies, which is why we could have no better partner to bring our film to the world than The Orchard,...
- 2/3/2016
- by Lauren Townsend
- Indiewire
Tucked quietly alongside the headline-making Sundance premieres of Nate Parker's Birth of a Nation and Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea was a decidedly less-flashy, but no less-important film: Life, Animated, what might be one of the most affecting documentaries to ever premiere at the festival. Life, Animated is the story of Owen Suskind, the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia. Owen is a boy with autism who memorized dozens of Disney animated movies, which helped him learn how to communicate after years of silence. Directed by Academy Award-winner Roger Ross Williams and produced by Julie Goldman, the documentary explores Owen's love affair with movies like Aladdin, Peter Pan, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and more, and how these films became to a key to freeing him from the isolation of his own mind. Vulture sat down with Owen (now 23, living on his...
- 1/30/2016
- by Stacey Wilson Hunt
- Vulture
Chances are you’ve experienced one or two-dozen animated films from Walt Disney Studios. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King: the studio famous for introducing the world to Mickey Mouse has produced some of the most identifiable films (and, subsequently, images) of the twentieth century. One of the studio’s most ardent fans is Owen Suskind, a young man diagnosed as autistic at the age of three and the subject of a memoir, Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism, written by his father Ron Suskind. Using Disney films as a guide to communicate and express himself to […]...
- 1/29/2016
- by Erik Luers
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Chances are you’ve experienced one or two-dozen animated films from Walt Disney Studios. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King: the studio famous for introducing the world to Mickey Mouse has produced some of the most identifiable films (and, subsequently, images) of the twentieth century. One of the studio’s most ardent fans is Owen Suskind, a young man diagnosed as autistic at the age of three and the subject of a memoir, Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism, written by his father Ron Suskind. Using Disney films as a guide to communicate and express himself to […]...
- 1/29/2016
- by Erik Luers
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
An autistic young man finds speech with the help of Disney animated movies in Life, Animated, a documentary based on the best-selling book by Ron Suskind about his son Will. The film was shot by Tom Bergmann, a cinematographer with more than 20 documentary shorts and features to his credit. Below, Bergmann discusses how he and the filmmakers worked to become “like a silent extended family” to Will and his family. Life, Animated premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to […]...
- 1/28/2016
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
An autistic young man finds speech with the help of Disney animated movies in Life, Animated, a documentary based on the best-selling book by Ron Suskind about his son Will. The film was shot by Tom Bergmann, a cinematographer with more than 20 documentary shorts and features to his credit. Below, Bergmann discusses how he and the filmmakers worked to become “like a silent extended family” to Will and his family. Life, Animated premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to […]...
- 1/28/2016
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
While around these parts, Disney movies are often discussed in terms of their performance at the box office, it's easy to forget that the films themselves are beloved by children, resonating in ways that adults will never quite understand. In the upcoming documentary "Life, Animated," which is slated to make its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, that point is powerfully made. Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2016 Directed by Roger Ross Williams, the story follows Owen, an autistic kid who couldn't speak for years but found a conduit to the world around him through Disney films. His father, author Ron Suskind, who profiled their mutual journey in the book on which the movie is based, makes clear how "Aladdin" marked a critical breakthrough moment for Owen. "Life, Animated" will have its first screening at Sundance on Saturday, January 23rd at 2 Pm at The Marc in Park City.
- 1/19/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, whose last film was the highly acclaimed and controversial documentary, "God Loves Uganda," among other documentary projects and series for network and cable television, has been hard at work during the past few months on his latest work - a film version of Ron Suskind’s best-selling book “Life Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism." In his book, the Pulitzer prize award winning political writer chronicles his and his wife Cornelia’s real life personal story raising their son Owen, who has autism, and the experiences that bought the family closer than ever. Williams, who in 2010 was the first black...
- 3/26/2015
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
★★★★☆There's a fabled quote from 2004 written in The New York Times by Ron Suskind, quoting an unnamed aide to the George W. Bush administration (later attributed to Karl Rove): "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality - judiciously, as you will - we'll act again, creating other new realities" Whilst watching Errol Morris' The Unknown Known (2013), one can't help but think that his subject, former United States Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, is the living embodiment of the ideologies embedded in said quote. Taking a similarly structured approach to 2003's The Fog of War, here Morris charts his interviewee's long political career.
- 8/12/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
A&E IndieFilms is teaming with Oscar-winning documentarian Roger Ross Williams and Motto Pictures to produce the feature documentary Life, Animated. Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, Life, Animated chronicles the story of Owen Suskind, his son with wife Cornelia. An autistic boy who couldn't speak for years, Owen memorized dozens of Disney animated movies and then turned them into a language to express love, pain and joy. In response, Owen’s family learned to become animated characters, communicating with him in Disney dialogue. The Suskind family story was the subject of a New York Times
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- 8/5/2014
- by Tatiana Siegel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A&E IndieFilms, the feature arm of A&E Studios, has partnered with Motto Pictures and Roger Ross Williams Productions to produce Life, Animated, a feature-length docu about an autistic boy who learned to communicate through his love for Disney films. Subject is Owen Suskind, the son of Pulitzer-winning journalist and Ron Suskind and his wife Cornelia, who couldn’t speak for years until he memorized dozens of Disney films and filtered them into his own way of communicating with his family members. They in turn embraced Owen’s Disney-fied new language to rally around him as a family. Roger Ross Williams (God Loves […]...
- 8/4/2014
- Deadline
In 1993, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ron Suskind moved to Washington, DC with his wife Cornelia and sons Walter, 5, and Owen, 2, to embark on his career as a national-affairs reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Soon after the move, Owen stopped speaking. Distant and agitated — he would soon be diagnosed with regressive autism — Owen sought comfort in Disney movie classics. The Suskinds would come to embrace this focus as his special affinity and Ron would eventually write about it in his new book Life, Animated (out this week), a departure from the works on presidents and power for which Suskind is well-known. Vulture spoke to him about the process.Why Disney?The early '90s were a Disney renaissance. Every kid was watching the mermaid, the genie, and the lion. Add to that the [widespread use] of the Vcr in the late '80s. Movie obsessives could dig into their favorite...
- 3/30/2014
- by Emma Whitford
- Vulture
Last month, an incredible story hit the web about a young autistic child who was able to connect with his father because of a shared bond over Disney movies. The story went viral, but there was someone behind the scenes who is perhaps the reason it was ever written in the first place—Jonathan Freeman, a celebrated member of the Disney family who met the father and son after a performance in Broadway’s Mary Poppins.
While chatting with EW about his role in Disney’s latest Broadway outing Aladdin (in which he’ll reprise his original voice part as...
While chatting with EW about his role in Disney’s latest Broadway outing Aladdin (in which he’ll reprise his original voice part as...
- 3/26/2014
- by Marc Snetiker
- EW.com - PopWatch
The best movie culture writing from around the internet-o-sphere. There will be a quiz later. Just leave a tab open for us, will ya? “Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney” — This intimate piece from Ron Suskind at The New York Times Magazine may as well have been sponsored by Kleenex. Poignant, personal and vulnerable, it’s a beautiful story told with endless compassion. If you only read one of the links today… “Somewhere it’s always Groundhog Day” — Kristin Thompson shares a letter from Harold Ramis and some thoughts/quibbles with film analysis. “What if Lupita Nyong’o got the same roles as Jennifer Lawrence” — Monika Bartyzel at The Week charts an imaginary, role-diverse future for the newly crowned Oscar winner. A future that feels a little fantastical to those of us who are more cynical. “Thinking as Historical Spectators” — Peter Labuza at To Be Cont’d makes a shrewd case for letting films of the past...
- 3/10/2014
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Ron Suskind, the last major journalist to interview Benazir Bhutto, for a special post-performance discussion tonight, Monday, April 8th at 730 P.M. with Anna Khaja, writer and performer of the acclaimed new play, Lafayette Street. Ms. Khaja relied on Mr. Suskind's 2008 bestseller, 'The Way of the World,' for insights in Bhutto's final days.
- 4/9/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Welcome to The CoF Weekend Preview where we take a look at what’s going on this weekend in entertainment. Check back Monday for The City Strip. Don’t forget to check out the The City of Films Fall & Holiday Movie Guide to see what else is coming out over the next few weeks and months.
Moneyball – IMDb – Rt (94%)
With names like Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sokin on your script, you don’t have too much work to do to make a great movie I assume. Bennett Miller (Capote) has a hit on his hand by the sounds of it, but will non-sports fans flock to the theater to see this one?
Abduction – IMDb – Rt (6%)
I was following this movie for a few days on Rotten Tomatoes where I swear it had a 0% rating; I was so excited to share that. Then some attention whores came by and “liked” the movie.
Moneyball – IMDb – Rt (94%)
With names like Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sokin on your script, you don’t have too much work to do to make a great movie I assume. Bennett Miller (Capote) has a hit on his hand by the sounds of it, but will non-sports fans flock to the theater to see this one?
Abduction – IMDb – Rt (6%)
I was following this movie for a few days on Rotten Tomatoes where I swear it had a 0% rating; I was so excited to share that. Then some attention whores came by and “liked” the movie.
- 9/23/2011
- by Graham
- City of Films
This Friday night Bill Maher hosts John Avlon, Jane Harman, Michael Moore, Tom Morello and Ron Suskind. HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" continures in its ninth season, and airs September 23 at 10:00-11:00 p.m. live Et/tape-delayed Pt, exclusively on HBO, with an instant replay at 11:00 p.m. following the live presentation. Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, the show includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists, and interviews with in-studio and satellite guests. The roundtable guests this week are columnist John Avlon, former Cal. Rep. Jane Harman and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore; musician Tom Morello and journalist Ron Suskind are interview guests. A favorite of subscribers since his first special on the network...
- 9/22/2011
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Author Ron Suskind appeared on The Daily Show last night to promote his controversial new book Confidence Men which takes a pretty critical look at the first two years of the Obama administration. Host Jon Stewart continued the discussion beyond the time allotted for the third segment of the show, eventually publishing some very interesting dialog that never made air, like the following discussion of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Wall Street's seemingly strange perception of President Obama.
- 9/21/2011
- by Colby Hall
- Mediaite - TV
Ron Suskind, author of Confidence Men, appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to defend his work against furious pushback from the White House. Host Joe Scarborough wondered what the White House was thinking with its denials, and Mika Brzezinski tried gamely to cross examine Suskind, which oddly paralleled the book's complaints about the treatment of women. Embedded deep into the piece, though, was a factoid that could help explain why so many administration officials honestly feel they were given a raw deal by Suskind.
- 9/20/2011
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
The pushback against Ron Suskind's upcoming (but leaked) book Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President continued today, as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney fielded questions about some of the book's tales of intrigue. Geithner flatly denied that he disregarded an order from the President, while Carney attacked the book as fundamentally unreliable, and possibly plagiarized from Wikipedia.
- 9/19/2011
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
So far, it appears that ABC News is the only network to cover a controversial new book shedding a harsh light on the goings-on within Obama's White House. On Monday, Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos intoduced a segment on the book by calling Ron Suskind's Confidence Men nothing short of a "bombshell." Jake Tapper then outlined the allegations contained therein, including charges of sexism, in-fighting among aides and general incompetence within the administration.
- 9/19/2011
- by Alex Alvarez
- Mediaite - TV
Can Matt Damon's half-fiction set the benchmark for a popular history of the Iraq war?
Now is the moment for the Iraqi war film. Less than a week after the low-budget The Hurt Locker won Oscars for best picture and best director, Paul Greengrass's big-budget Green Zone has hit the screens. Following a series of Iraq war flops, the latest efforts show how the fictional Iraq has the potential to overshadow the reality.
Indeed, last week BBC News at Ten featured an interview with Matt Damon about his portrayal of Warrant Officer Miller, a soldier looking for WMDs in Iraq, while not reporting on a multiple bombing in Baghdad that killed more than 30 people.
It can be argued that such adrenaline-fuelled dramatisations of the conflict distance people from any ability to understand actual events. And yet, effective filmmaking can unearth the guilt at the heart of the Iraq...
Now is the moment for the Iraqi war film. Less than a week after the low-budget The Hurt Locker won Oscars for best picture and best director, Paul Greengrass's big-budget Green Zone has hit the screens. Following a series of Iraq war flops, the latest efforts show how the fictional Iraq has the potential to overshadow the reality.
Indeed, last week BBC News at Ten featured an interview with Matt Damon about his portrayal of Warrant Officer Miller, a soldier looking for WMDs in Iraq, while not reporting on a multiple bombing in Baghdad that killed more than 30 people.
It can be argued that such adrenaline-fuelled dramatisations of the conflict distance people from any ability to understand actual events. And yet, effective filmmaking can unearth the guilt at the heart of the Iraq...
- 3/14/2010
- by James Denselow
- The Guardian - Film News
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