A film chronicling the coming-of-age story of a man with autism has been nominated for an Academy Award.
“Life, Animated” is one of five movies nominated for best documentary feature, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday morning.
The documentary is based on the best-selling book “Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ron Suskind about his son, Owen, who is on the spectrum.
Owen Suskind stopped speaking at age 3, but learned to communicate again through his love of Disney animated films. Using video of Owen, animation based on his drawings and scenes from Disney classics, the film tells the story of Owen’s path to adulthood.
“Life, Animated” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year where it won the directing award in the U.S. documentary competition. Since then, the film opened in theaters nationwide and recently debuted on television on the A&E Network.
The 89th Academy Awards will be held Feb. 26 in Los Angeles with a live broadcast starting at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.