"What is Dyslexia?"

8 May 2026

8 mins 06s

Dissing Dyslexia.

This utterly charming animation from Australia has the laudable and ambitious aim of reframing dyslexia as a superpower rather than a disability. It opens with a little girl called Lola investigating the condition, presumably because she has been diagnosed with it. She drifts into a reverie where she encounters an eccentric inventor (voiced by Jeremy Irons) who explains to her that many of the most accomplished people of all time have been 'dyslexic thinkers'.

This sunny, upbeat film aims through its title to become one of the first pieces of content encountered by those who, like Lola, want to know more about dyslexia. By presenting those who have been diagnosed with the condition with this positive idea, the aim is to offset all the negativity they will find elsewhere.

The animation, designed by Mike Moloney of Art&Graft, is utterly beautiful and visually underlines the positivity of the message, and Ted Griggs's song makes a similarly sweet and upbeat contribution.

The presiding force behind this is Rob Galluzzo of FINCH, who, like many of the other contributors to this film, is himself a dyslexic thinker, and it's clear that this is an initiative dear to his heart.

Director Kyra Bartley has assembled the elements beautifully and must have been thrilled that her main voice actor, Hope Day - a very appropriate name for this project and another dyslexic thinker - made such a powerful contribution, injecting Lola with a perfect combination of wonder and charm.

We've come along way in the last few years at better understanding neurodiversity, and plainly a film like this aims to similarly achieve a better understanding of dyslexia... and it certainly has what it takes to shift perspectives.

Australia

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