Sony Pictures Animation has gone through an amazing renaissance in the past few years. They have gone from simply making movies that were really hit – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania – or miss – The Emoji Movie – to becoming one of the best animation studios in recent memory. Hot off the heels of their 2018 smash hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse comes The Mitchells vs. the Machines, released on Netflix earlier this year.
Directed by Gravity Falls alum Mike Rianda with Spider-Verse‘s Phil Lord and Chris Miller serving as executive producers, the film stars Abbi Jacobson as Katie Mitchell, the only daughter of the titular Mitchells, as she prepares to leave her family for film school in California, only to have her plans upended by her eccentric father Rick, played by Danny McBride, as he decides to take the family on one last road trip. Even those plans get turned over when an AI named PAL – played by British actress Olivia Colman – rises up against her neglectful creator Mark – played by comedian Eric André – and causes the world’s machines to rise up against humans and prepare to send them into deep space.
The film’s somewhat silly yet grim premise lends itself to a strong emotional core with some perfectly timed comedic beats throughout the film. Though the early parts of the film do somewhat focus on how technology has overtaken our lives, Mitchells thankfully mostly drops that message in favor of focusing on how an average yet odd family responds to a scenario most families in film are overprepared for. Its strongest moments come in the more intimate conversations between the members of the Mitchell family, especially with Rick and Katie not exactly seeing eye to eye but being able to set aside their differences to overcome obstacles set before them.
The writing only accentuates this further as it clearly defines the personalities of each character – whether main or supporting – without delving into cliché territory and provides a good mix of neutral, emotional and comedic moments, which help keep the film and its characters moving at a steady pace. Its humor stands out in that it isn’t afraid to be a bit snarky or sarcastic at times, even throwing a few punches at how we rely on technology today. Seriously, there’s even a Mad Max-esque sequence where several Internet-depraved maniacs suggest making a sacrifice to the router and another sequence involving killer Furbies. I highly recommend turning subtitles on once you reach that latter point, as there’s a bevy of jokes you wouldn’t be able to hear otherwise.
In addition to its superb writing and characters, Mitchells also firmly establishes its own visual style. Animated characters being caricatures or otherwise cartoon versions of actual humans is nothing new, but there’s something to be said about the humans and robots in Mitchells that makes them stand out from the usual Disney and Pixar fare. Every character has a wide array of emotions on display with certain facial features shifting to better accommodate certain expressions and moods of specific scenes. While that is what is traditionally expected out of animated films nowadays, the film utilizes these characters in conjunction with its comic book/notebook scribble-inspired effects courtesy of the way Katie sees the world. It makes even the slower scenes pop with life in a way akin to Spider-Verse, which no doubt served as inspiration here.
Another little detail that compliments the film perfectly is how it plays with background details and freeze-frame bonuses that the style hides for a few scenes before bringing it to the forefront. For instance, one of the mall scenes shows a router on an upper level being destroyed, which explains why there are no Internet connection moments later. There’s also a scene where the main villain has a massive screen displaying all the flaws the Mitchells have and some of the bigger ones come back later in an amazing way. The little details like this help sell the movie and its characters much more than most films I’ve seen as of late.
Ultimately, The Mitchells vs. the Machines remains an enjoyable ride all the way through with a charming, well-written cast of characters and a unique visual style that is pleasant to see and hear. It transcends beyond the “technology bad” premise and provides a movie that packs a lot of emotion and a lot of comedy in a solid little bundle. Easily earns all five stars.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines is currently available to watch exclusively on Netflix.
Photo Credit / Netflix
