The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a chaotic, colourful, and surprisingly emotional animated adventure that blends heartfelt family storytelling with wildly inventive visuals. From its comic book-inspired animation to its meme-filled editing style, the film feels both modern and timeless. At its heart is a story about connection between generations, between personalities, and between people and the technology that surrounds them, wrapped in a sci-fi road trip that never forgets to have fun along the way.
The Art Style
Before I actually go into discussing the ins and outs of The Mitchells vs. The Machines, I wanted to point out, who visually stunning this film is. Whilst computer animation, the film has a distinctive and innovative art style. There are moments in the film, where you’ll have hand-drawn squiggles and sketches pop up on screen to make it look comic-book-like, similar to what Sony did with Into the Spider-Verse. Similarly, the majority of the backgrounds in the film are 3D, however, the hand-drawn elements and watercolour make them look 2D and it works so well, and a credit to the animation team.
There are details in Katie’s movies which see makes for college that is just brilliant – for example the family dog Monchi has a green outline throughout the whole film replicating the green screen chroma effect to make the film look homemade, and imperfect sometimes. It is an incredible shame this film will never be seen on a cinema screen, as I believe similar to Spider-Verse, there’s something about this visually, that would be enhanced in a cinema.
One of my favourite details is when we see the new Pal Max models fly around, they have a fibre looking trail as they fly through the sky… not the biggest of details, I just found it very cool.
A Fun and Emotional Road Trip
For me, the plot of The Mitchells vs. The Machines is simple enough that you can enjoy it – a family road trip cut short/ interrupted by robots that want to end all humanity – very silly when you think about it, but the film doesn’t take itself too seriously which is great, and ideal for the plot in my opinion.
Rick is a joyfully oblivious dad who has a fierce love for his family, the great outdoors and catching possums with his bare hands. He thinks technology is a distraction from the important things in life- like family bonding and learning how to drive stick shift. Linda is a wildly positive and optimistic third grade teacher who would run through a brick wall for her family. She’s a natural peacemaker, but the two people Linda can’t help are her husband Rick, and daughter Katie.
Katie is a creative outsider who dreams about going to film school and meeting people that actually understand her. She spends her time working day and night to make absurd movies on YouTube that usually star the family’s pug. Aaron is a sweet, nerdy kid who wears dinosaur t-shirts, sweat pants, and Velcro shoes. He loves Iguanodons, his cool older sister, Katie, and the family’s squishy pug, Monchi who is a delightfully chubby, wall-eyed pug, who isn’t perfect but is trying his best. He serves as a kind of mascot for the flawed and imperfect Mitchell family.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines carries a lot of meme culture, both throughout the film’s story and also it’s editing, seen through the visual gags in the film, and it adds a different sense of experience when watching the film, which I really liked. You could argue that it was overused in parts, which it was but when it worked it worked, and I really liked that.
One of my favourite parts of the films was during a sequence in a shopping mall, and we’re greeted by an army of killer Furby’s led by one huge Furby – to say it out loud sounds bonkers, but honestly, it is one of the silliest and funniest things I have seen in a long time, and do not get me started on Monchi… the cutest yet ugliest dog ever!
Family
One of the main topics of The Mitchells vs. The Machines is family. The whole film follows the Mitchell’s, and the film especially highlights the relationship between Rick and Katie. By the end of the film, these two get closer and it is a quite compelling story as Katie is obviously leaving the family to chase her dreams and Rick objects before actually accepting that he must move on. We get a tonne of flashbacks provided by VHS tapes and old family photos that show us Rick has always loved his daughter and ultimately that’s why he didn’t want her to leave, and not because he didn’t believe in his daughter.
Rick’s decision in the film to cancel Katie’s flight to college and instead propose a wild road trip to California is an odd one, but provides a near-perfect adventure, to say the least!
Ultimately in the end, with the two closer than ever, it is really nice to see and makes for a perfect ending for The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and a happy one too.
‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ – Final Thoughts
Ultimately, The Mitchells vs. The Machines is near perfect and I really enjoyed it. I would argue that The Mitchells vs. The Machines is one of the best animated features I have seen for a while, especially for the art style alone, but it’s helped with a consistent and fun plot that carries a loving family theme throughout. I incredibly recommend this film to all audiences as I think there is something in this for everyone! Sony Pictures Animation has once again shown themself, and I am excited to see what they do next with Vivo.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the trailer below:
The Review
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Ultimately, this film is near perfect and I really enjoyed it. I would argue that The Mitchells vs. The Machines is one of the best animated features I have seen for a while, especially for the art style alone, but it's helped with a consistent and fun plot that carries a loving family theme throughout. I incredibly recommend this film to all audiences as I think there is something in this for everyone! Sony Pictures Animation has once again shown themself, and I am excited to see what they do next with Vivo
