Thoughts : The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
It’s funny how a movie can look clearly appealing to one’s sensibility, and yet, whether it be the many tasks life sets in front of us, the way that one can get tunnel vision in terms of their chosen stimulus, or just purely forgetting about something until it’s pushed directly into your face, we can seemingly avoid it. Rambling aside, this is exactly what happened to me and The Mitchells vs. the Machines... despite excellent reviews from casuals and critics alike, not to mention an art and animation style that resembles films that I love like Spider-man : Into the Spider-Verse and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, I kept letting this one slip by the wayside. As several best of 2021 lists started to trickle out, however, this one quickly jumped back up the must-see list.
While fun for all ages, The Mitchells vs. the Machines seems squarely aimed at children and teens, so it is definitely a good thing that the most important dual themes of the film are the importance of an unconditionally loving family dynamic and the importance of being true to yourself. Taken in reverse order, Katie is a wonderful role model for any young boy or girl who feels like an outcast... her undying love to her filmmaking, the support of her equally offbeat younger brother and her relationship with her parents (even the strained father/daughter relationship) are all rooted in a pure passion and adoration, making them wholeheartedly important to her makeup. Even though Katie and her father Rick have clearly drifted apart by the time viewers are introduced to the family, it’s not hard to see that they are cut from the same cloth, and this point is driven home further any time we get insight into the memories shared by the Mitchell family. Speaking of the Mitchell family, even though Linda has a habit of holding her family in comparison to the Posey family (aptly comedically named) and their seemingly perfect existence, it is the weird and offbeat characteristics of each family member that allows them to survive in the PAL apocalypse. Be it Katie’s thinking outside of the box and ability to see the bigger picture, Rick’s survivalists and rustic nature, or the empathic nature shared by Linda and Aaron, the lack of “shoot first, ask questions later” is the main reason they are able to thrive when literally everyone else in the world’s tethering to their base nature immediately puts them in the position of the captured. Perhaps most importantly, The Mitchells vs. the Machine is very honest about that fact that even though it is important to be yourself, it is also very important to be aware of how that expression impacts those around you, especially those you love.
Not since Wall-E has a film “made for children” taken such a hard and honest look at technology, the possibilities on the horizon, and most importantly, the dependence we as humans have built on these technologies. The Mitchell family (and all of their quirks) represent remaining grounded in the information age, be you someone aware of technology’s possibilities like Katie, or someone deeply dedicated to nature and opposed to technology ruling our lives like Rick. The ruminations on the dangers of artificial intelligence may be a bit on the nose, but in turn, it’s this very aspect that makes the film fantastic, as the overreaching technology is manifest as a rogue smartphone and an army of PAL androids, a formidable foe in any science-fiction and/or apocalypse scenario. In all honesty, these aspects of the film speak for themselves, and though there is room for nuance and contemplation, inherently their representation within the film is not meant to be any deeper than what is immediately apparent. The shoutouts that The Mitchells vs. the Machines give to online popular culture are a perfect cherry on top of the film’s presentation.
Like many of the recent Sony animated releases, The Mitchells vs. the Machines pushes the boundaries of animation in the best ways possible, with the smoothly rendered but highly stylized character designs and animations serving as the perfect lightning rod for a plethora of various illustration and animation variations, much like Spider-man : Into the Spider-Verse did, making The Mitchells feel like a living and breathing storybook in the same way Spider-Verse felt like a moving comic. The vocal performances cover a wide range of speech patterns and textures, with each individual performance feeling like they push the boundaries of what each actor is capable of (which is expounded upon below). As a recent fan of the Color Palette Cinema page, it is impossible to ignore how rich and colorful The Mitchells vs. the Machines is, especially when it leans headlong into the pastel purples, oranges and blues of the PAL world. The attention to detail in the animation is spectacular, with aspects like hair and clothing movement, fire effects, broken glass, smoke and lights/shadows coming off as highly impressive. The soundtrack and score also pop, but are not used as a crutch, as the story and animation are compelling enough to carry viewers through the experience, making them bonus enhancements to the overall immersion.
The cast of voiceover talent assembled for The Mitchells vs. the Machines is full of standout performances, and this is headed by Abbi Jacobson, who infuses so much life and character into her portrayal of the misunderstood Katie that it creates an extremely dynamic well of experience when pitted against her angst-filled and sadder moments. Director and co-writer Mike Rianda also turns in a fun, dry-wit filled performance as Aaron, the dinosaur loving younger brother and support system for Katie. Danny McBride and Maya Rudolph both turn in performances so against their natural type that they are almost unrecognizable, with McBride exuding a fatherly Seth Rogen-esque performance, while Rudolph makes her humor more subtle and ratchets up the unconditional loving. Eric André also turns in an understated but very effective performance, managing to come off as very entitled and oblivious to his negative impact as well as very proud of himself without resorting to his off-kilter and absurdist comedy.  André gets the pleasure of sharing several scenes with the wonderfully pleasant Olivia Colman, who uses her charming voice and welcoming presence to make her sinister positioning feel that much darker. Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett bring in some traditional comic relief as the busted PAL robots, using the traditional duo pairing to mine their character arcs for all of the jokes they can. Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and Charlyne Yi shine as the perfect opposites of the Mitchell family, Blake Griffin and Conan O’Brien give memorable PAL performances, and appearances by Sasheer Zamata, Elle Milles, Alex Hirsch and Jay Pharoah as Katie’s college friend group round out the bigger supporting appearances.
It’s going to be interesting figuring out where this will land in my year-end rankings. While not the deepest film released this year, its narrative gives it built-in re-watch value, and the execution only amplifies said value. I’ve not seen much animation this year to my recollection, but this feels like a shoo-in for Best Animated Picture when award season comes around. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to sharing this film with my future family, should I be lucky enough to find myself with that opportunity... if you happen to have family that you love, I recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to share this film with them as soon as you can.
