Note: Today is World Autism Awareness Day, observed internationally and recognized by the United Nations. This year’s theme is “The Transition to Adulthood.” Learn more about it at the UN’s website.
There is no “normal.” Renee and Marcus are different from each other. They defy each other’s normal.
That’s the lesson of Pixar’s new Disney+ exclusive Loop, which has taken a major step in neurodivergent representation. The short features Pixar’s first ever nonverbal autistic protagonist, Renee, and a chatty neurotypical boy named Marcus. The two teens are paired together by their camp counselor for a canoe trip. The two characters communicate in radically different ways, but their mutual desire to find an understanding allows them to become friends. Marcus talks to Renee like he would talk to anyone, but he does not expect her to respond in exactly the same way. Likewise, Renee makes an effort to communicate her needs to Marcus through gestures, vocalizations, and her cell phone. The film masterfully depicts the unique ways both characters experience the world through vibrant color and a difference in light and sound between the characters’ points of view.
Behind the scenes, Loop‘s production made strides in representation. Director Erica Milsom and producers Michael Warch and Krissy Cababa recruited the nonverbal autistic actress Madison Bandy to voice Renee despite the decision being discouraged by colleagues. Since Bandy could not take traditional acting instruction, the vocal recordings were very improvisational, and the animation team was tasked with a lot of interpretation.
The crew even had consultants from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) review the project for authenticity and provide feedback. ASAN’s work on it led to the short’s creative use of light and color to illustrate Renee’s perception of the world. The lighting artists created some experimental examples based on ASAN consultant’s self-reports. “We showed those tests to our consultants and we were super surprised and really happy that they actually picked different ones than we thought they would pick,” Milsom explained to Forbes. “So it showed us how different our brains are from each other.” It’s only recently that groups like ASAN have been taken more seriously than organizations of neurotypical professionals and specialists who speak for autistic people instead of promoting self-advocacy, so ASAN’s involvement was quite progressive.
Autism is rarely presented in the media with this kind of dignity and accuracy. Usually an autistic character is presented one of two ways. They are either a genius in the area of math and science or an “inspiration” to other characters. Either way, these two interpretations imply that the character is benefiting society in some way that “makes up” for their autism. Renee’s differences are not portrayed as character flaws that Marcus must forgive. They are simply differences. The narrative does not paint Marcus as the “normal” kid who treats Renee “like” a normal kid. Instead of Marcus learning to treat Renee “like a normal kid” or how to “handle” a friend with special needs, Marcus learns how to treat Renee like Renee. Marcus embraces what makes his friend different from him and makes an effort to learn her language.
Marcus is a character who models empathy without being congratulated for it. Renee does experience an accurately represented meltdown, but Marcus doesn’t save the day by calming Renee down. He apologizes for not responding to the meltdown correctly and admits that he just doesn’t know what to do. Renee is given the time to calm down gradually without being shamed or hurried. When she’s ready to try again, she and Marcus share a moment of understanding.
They do not share a moment of “forgiveness,” because neither has done anything wrong. Her meltdown did not result from Marcus’s lack of empathy or from her own shortcomings. It resulted from a misunderstanding, and like every misunderstanding, it is resolved with communication. Renee lets Marcus know that she’s ready to have fun again, and the two move on with their day.While animation fans in the neurodivergent community have developed theories about many characters being on the autism spectrum, canonical examples of autistic characters are few and far between. Carl Gould from Arthur and Rick from Rick and Morty are two frequently cited examples, but the latter was only recently confirmed as canon. Through Renee, Loop has set a new standard for storytellers, and it’ll be exciting to see how they rise to meet their new expectations and challenge the concept of “normal.”
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