The Mitchells vs the Machines is, perhaps, the most feel-good family film in the last year or two. It’s full of heart and creativity, and it’s distinct, energetic visual design helps it stand out from the rest of the pack. Produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse) and directed by Michael Rianda, written by Rianda and Jeff Rowe, the movie is filled with relatable jokes and engaging characters. It’s both quirky and simple enough to strike a chord with the audience.
Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is a college-bound young adult who’s into designing meme-fied video content with her family pug and is looking forward to getting out of her father, Rick’s (Danny McBride) shadow and getting to meet new friends. Rick, who is a technophobe, decides to take her and the entire family to California on a road trip to drop Katie off at her college. Unfortunately, the world gets taken over by a vengeful AI assistant named Pal (Olivia Colman) and it falls to the Mitchells to save the day.
The family dynamic between the Mitchells is front and center. Each character is struggling with something, and they have to work on themselves throughout the movie to make progress.
The solution, the film posits, is not to be like other “perfect” families, but to be themselves and embrace everything weird and unique about themselves. Supporting characters, like two dysfunctional robots (played by Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett) trying to help the Mitchells, are also well portrayed. The film’s distinct blend of 2D and 3D animation is also a strong point, as is the cartoonish art style.
As good as the film is, there are some missteps. Katie feels comfortably Gen Z, but the way she is portrayed gives off the idea that this is a representation of what a 40 year old thinks a college freshman is supposed to be like than the real deal. The film also frequently dives into Katie’s mind by plastering the screen with meme-centric visual motifs that may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Still, it’s a small miracle that The Mitchells vs the Machines works as well as it does. Every building block of the film feels borrowed from more popular films, and the antagonist’s “phones-are-bad” plot could have definitely veered off into tired territory. Thankfully, Rianda and Rowe make it all work. There are some impressive set pieces, such as when the family has to fight off Furbies in a mall, and later when they fly around on robots belting out T.I and Rihanna’s Live Your Life. The runtime is slightly longer than you would expect, but thankfully the film doesn’t outstay its welcome. Some story elements, such as Linda, Katie’s mother (Maya Rudolph) being supportive of Katie crushing on her female classmate, are commendable.
If you haven’t seen the film yet, do give it a chance. It’s a breath of fresh air and is highly enjoyable even if you’re a jaded adult. Let’s hope we can see more inspired animated movies in this vein from Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation.