The story of how Owen, an autistic boy, found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world. By interweaving Disney sequences with scenes from Owen’s life, the film explores how empathy with characters forged a conduit for him to understand his feelings.

Disney movies had a lifesaving impact on the childhood of Owen Suskind, an autistic person who became connected with the world thanks to characters like Jafar. Based on his father’s best-selling book, this heartwarming documentary, told partly through animation, won the Directing Award at Sundance.