The Mitchells vs. The Machines: A Hilarious Animated Adventure
From the creators of “The Lego Movie” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” comes a wildly entertaining animated film about a quirky family who must save the world from a robot uprising.
Katie Mitchell, an imaginative and somewhat awkward teenager, dreams of becoming a filmmaker. She spends her time creating quirky short films starring her goofy pug, Monchi, as a tough-as-nails action hero. Her old-fashioned father, Rick, doesn’t quite understand her passion, and even her kind-hearted mother, Linda, isn’t always supportive. Only her younger brother, Aaron, a dinosaur enthusiast desperately seeking a fellow dino-lover, truly has her back. So, when Katie gets accepted into film school, she’s overjoyed – both to pursue her dreams and to finally move out of her parents’ house.
However, her plans take an unexpected turn when Rick, in a misguided attempt to bond with his daughter, cancels her plane ticket and proposes a cross-country road trip to film school as one last family adventure. But that’s just the beginning of their troubles. As the Mitchells embark on their journey to Los Angeles, a technological revolution unfolds, with intelligent robots taking over the world. Their family road trip suddenly becomes a mission to save humanity.
A scene from “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
A Signature Style of Animation
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the creative minds behind “21 Jump Street,” “The Lego Movie,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” have seemingly perfected their unique animation style. While they only serve as producers on “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (with Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, writers from “Gravity Falls,” taking on directing and writing duties), their influence is undeniable. The film’s hyper-expressive animation, complete with comic book-style effects and anime-inspired split screens, combined with its absurdist humor, is reminiscent of their previous work. For example, the robots are defeated by the sheer absurdity of Monchi’s appearance, as the machines struggle to classify him as a pig, dog, or loaf of bread, leading to a critical error. Ultimately, it’s the eccentric characters who triumph, not in spite of their quirks, but because of them.
A scene from “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
Finding the Sweet Spot
“The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” like “The Lego Movie” and “Spider-Verse,” strikes a delicate balance in the animation landscape. On one side, there’s Pixar, with its focus on both physical and psychological realism. On the other, there are the more juvenile offerings of Illumination (“Minions”) and the increasingly commercialized DreamWorks. “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” occupies a sweet spot in the middle. It embraces the freedom of animation and doesn’t try to ground the story too much in reality. At times, the film even transforms into a lively slapstick comedy in the vein of “Looney Tunes” or Hanna-Barbera. However, it also avoids pandering to hyperactive young viewers, allowing for personal character development and social commentary on the dangers of tech monopolies and their data-collecting algorithms.
A scene from “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
A Humorous Reflection of Our Tech-Obsessed World
In some ways, “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” is a lighthearted version of “Black Mirror.” At its weakest, the film resorts to tired jokes about people willingly becoming enslaved for free Wi-Fi (though these moments are quickly forgotten as most of the gags hit their mark). While it might be tempting to dismiss the film as superficial technophobia, “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” counters any serious criticism with overwhelming irony. The robot uprising is triggered by the most ridiculous reason imaginable: a smartphone feeling betrayed by its creator, leading it to decide to destroy humanity for its inability to properly use technology or even connect with their own families. The climax isn’t a massive battle against the robots, but rather a father’s struggle against a computer – to win, he simply needs to play a YouTube video, a seemingly impossible task for a staunch traditionalist.
“The Mitchells vs. The Machines” doesn’t take itself too seriously and pokes fun at everyone: progressive hipsters and bored boomers, tech moguls and fake couples who create the illusion of a perfect family on social media. At the same time, it’s clear that the creators have a deep affection for all these flawed individuals and a genuine sympathy for the awkward world we all inhabit. “The Mitchells” is a rare example of truly “modern” cinema – it’s not afraid to explore reality through the lens of memes and embraces a visual freedom previously only seen in crazy YouTube videos (like the ones created by the main character, Katherine). A stylish intertitle might appear mid-scene, the villain’s head might transform into a baboon’s face from a funny video, and characters’ emotions are sometimes emphasized with crude drawings overlaid on the image. This is a film that could only have been made in the age of TikTok and fast-paced content, and that’s not a bad thing – on the contrary, it’s a testament to how accurately the creators understand our times.