The film opens with the sweet voice of Abbi Jacobson as Katie Mitchell who says, “We all wanna be the perfect family but who’s perfect, right? Every family has its challenges from picture day to picky eaters. For my family, our greatest challenge...probably the machine apocalypse.” She's right—not every family is perfect as just every family has some form of dysfunctional traits.
In The Mitchells vs.The Machines, Katie and her family Rick (Danny McBride), Linda (Maya Rudolph), and Aaron (Michael Rianda) take a cross-country road trip to drop her off at film school. Suddenly, the family finds themselves in the middle of a robot apocalypse and decides to save the world, becoming the weirdest and unlikeliest of heroes. The film also includes the wildly adorable Monchi voiced by the internet sensation Doug the Pug and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman who takes on a fun and villainous role that sounds like Siri.
The Mitchells vs.The Machines is directed by Michael Rianda, written by Rianda and Gravity Falls writer Jeff Rowe, and produced by Academy Award winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the producers of the phenomenal Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and directors of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and The Lego Movie (2014).
Anything Miller and Lord work on is a definite watch; they are excellent storytellers who challenge animation on every hilarious project. Rianda marks his feature debut with a film that includes crazy hijinks and self-aware humor.
This is one of 2021’s most clever and outrageously amusing films with a leading voice cast. The characters are very relatable, especially the parents who have troubles with the internet and technology. The Mitchell family feels down-to-earth and speaks the truth of an ordinary family.
In a film about bringing family together and occasionally disconnecting from a tech-filled world, The Mitchells vs.The Machines gets its message across with eye-popping visuals that infuse various and unique animation styles including computerized and hand-drawn.
The Mitchells vs.The Machines is a wacky and energetic animated feature. Rianda's family comedy is colorful, fast-paced, and charming. There is so much to love about Rianda’s bold film, a new classic for families to sit on the couch together for repeated viewings. Editors Choice.