My daughters and I watch a movie every Saturday night before they go to bed, and we usually just pick one and I cross my fingers that I won't be miserable for 2 hours. This movie was an absolute PLEASANT surprise. Great modern story, great adult humor, and AMAZING animation. A great family movie that will keep you laughing and entertained the entire time. I didn't watch the trailer and I didn't even know who did the voices in it. Watch this movie, with or without kids, it's a great watch.
800 Reviews
Colorful, chaotic and endearing
Mr-Fusion6 November 2021
A robot uprising of the humorous kind, The Mitchells vs the Machines came at me from behind and got its hooks in. A Netflix animated flick I had no interest in (my 11 year-old felt differently) and ended up fully in its embrace. The father-daughter storyline is handled with care even azs the Mitchell clan is hunted by robots and giant Furbys (you read that right). The animation's vivid and the characters well-drawn (no pun intended) while the sentiment is heartfelt. Lord and Miller are becoming household names they've been killing it.
An Unexpected Treat
AnotherRandomReviewer2 September 2021
I knew nothing about this movie before watching it. You can quibble about how some of the plot elements or characters are derivative, but overall it is a good watch. Funny and visually great, with some well-designed action sequences as well.
Good for a family night viewing.
Good for a family night viewing.
Puts almost every other recent animated film to shame in ambition and execution
pugpool1030 April 2021
No amount of behind-the-scenes cinematic team-ups in recent years can compare to the overwhelming power that the guys behind Gravity Falls (Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe) and Spider-Verse (Phil Lord and Chris Miller) have when you put their creative minds together on a singular project.
This is an amazingly fun movie from start to finish, benefited by some brilliantly stylized CGI that continues the trend that Spider-Verse started but taken a few steps further with some added medium blending that very much blew my mind. It also helps that 92% of the jokes land right on target. Did I mention that it also has a disarmingly astute emotional core?
Honestly, at this rate Sony Pictures Animation may be beating Disney and Pixar at their own game.
This is an amazingly fun movie from start to finish, benefited by some brilliantly stylized CGI that continues the trend that Spider-Verse started but taken a few steps further with some added medium blending that very much blew my mind. It also helps that 92% of the jokes land right on target. Did I mention that it also has a disarmingly astute emotional core?
Honestly, at this rate Sony Pictures Animation may be beating Disney and Pixar at their own game.
Fun, lively and vibrant
Gordon-1115 May 2021
Fantastic Movie
rcousins-8613530 April 2021
Standard procedure
whotheff17 May 2021
A sunny Thursday morning, a Sony producer comes in and says: "Hey, let's create a new animated movie for cash! We'll use standard family movie script No 6, we'll praise being weird and mediocre family, sprinkle some compassion, etc. Then we'll mix some modern theme like computers overtaking the world. We'll speed-up the images x3 so all the ADHD kids can't die of boredom, add a lot of slow-mo, so parents can keep up and voilla!"
Comedic Relief
bravoromeoalphamikesierra30 April 2021
I absolutely loved monchi the pug and the pal robots conversations. The story plot was hilarious and gave a funny take on an invasion on an otherwise serious situation. The voice acting was Brilliant, the relationship between the family members was very realistic in my opinion. I hope there's a sequel.
Totally worth a watch!
averagejoe-1564430 April 2021
I really enjoyed this film and laughed really hard my diaphragm hurt. It was a really well told story and the animation style reminded me of the Into the spider verse style but with its own twist.
The jokes were on point as well, the humour had its own unique quirky feel which once you are in on the joke just brings along for the ride.
Totally worth a watch for everybody it's just a great family film for everyone with something for all to enjoy.
The jokes were on point as well, the humour had its own unique quirky feel which once you are in on the joke just brings along for the ride.
Totally worth a watch for everybody it's just a great family film for everyone with something for all to enjoy.
Innovative Experiment of a Family Road Film
elicopperman30 April 2021
Sony Pictures Animation has been growing further and further in their filmography by experimenting with fresh computer technology and innovative stories, and none could be better proof than their most recent feature, The Mitchells vs. The Machines. Co-written and directed by former Gravity Falls writer Mike Rianda, the film was initially set to come out in September of 2020, but due to COVID restrictions, it was eventually delayed until the end of April and released on Netflix. Now that the world is finally ready to see the Mitchells unleashed, just how much was the wait worth it in the end?
The film follows the Mitchells, a dysfunctional family with an aspiring filmmaker daughter named Katie and a down to earth father named Rick that fail to see eye to eye from when they were younger. While attempting to rekindle their relationship on Katie's trip to college, the whole family winds up having to save Earth from a robot uprising while on a road trip. Now based on that bizarre premise, it would seem like we have a case of two different movies clashing together. However, the otherwise routine storyline of a family overcoming their differences is ultimately saved and even elevated by this other arc, because the movie's biggest theme lies in how overly dependent people have become to technology nowadays. While it is wonderful just how much the world has advanced in adapting to technological innovation, including animated features, one must be careful to not take it for granted. Sometimes, all it takes is just one person to deem an AI obsolete for the whole world to fall under chaos; that is just how much the reliance on technology has grown in humanity, both for better and worse.
As for the Mitchells story arc, like I mentioned before, it is admittedly a fairly standard plot about a parent and offspring needing to overcome their differences to connect again. However, to the film's credit, the characters themselves range from charmingly hysterical to surprisingly relatable. Katie represents the adorkably creative artist in many of today's generation, Rick is a good hearted albeit overly indulgent maniac of a dad trying to figure out today's youth, Linda is an overly perfectionist mother that demands the family be functional even at her most calm, and Katie's little brother Aaron might be the most hilarious dinosaur obsessed squirt since Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes (and their bug eyed potato dog Monchi is the cherry on top). This whole family of eccentric weirdos drive the film forward, especially compared to their allies and enemies, be it evil robots or family rivals. Not to mention, the whole cast clearly had a blast in their roles, especially Abbi Jacobson and Danny McBride being the most authentic as a quirky albeit frustrated teen and an overly impulsive father.
Out of all the animated features to be released this year right now, this film might have the most unique visuals and art direction yet. In addition to Lindsey Olivares' stylized character designs translating seamlessly in the SPA renderfarm, the animators did the most in exercising their acting chops to make the characters move like real people yet still feel appropriately exaggerated. The backgrounds are also a neat reflection of how the United States would look if it went from a neat colorful environment to a post apocalyptic sci-fi nightmare, with the right amount of special effects, color gradients and shadows to go along with the world-building. There are even nice additional 2D animated chunks that are either used in lieu of exposition or cute little add ons to the suspense in a given scene. The only genuine criticism to give the visuals is that sometimes those gimmicky effects and filters can be a little too frequent and even jarring, especially when some of the movie's humor is overly reliant on modern internet culture. Let's just say some of the filters could come off as jump scares.
I can't think of a better energetic romp of a film for the whole family to enjoy as much as this one. Not only is The Mitchells vs. The Machines an eye-catching twist on the family road dramedy genre, but it might be the most fun animated film released in a while. If Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation keep up this track record of enjoyable thrill rides disguised as innovative experiments, then there's no telling what the future holds for moviegoers. If you haven't seen the film yet, go on your Netflix account and give it a go. There's never been a better time to connect with your love of movies than now.
The film follows the Mitchells, a dysfunctional family with an aspiring filmmaker daughter named Katie and a down to earth father named Rick that fail to see eye to eye from when they were younger. While attempting to rekindle their relationship on Katie's trip to college, the whole family winds up having to save Earth from a robot uprising while on a road trip. Now based on that bizarre premise, it would seem like we have a case of two different movies clashing together. However, the otherwise routine storyline of a family overcoming their differences is ultimately saved and even elevated by this other arc, because the movie's biggest theme lies in how overly dependent people have become to technology nowadays. While it is wonderful just how much the world has advanced in adapting to technological innovation, including animated features, one must be careful to not take it for granted. Sometimes, all it takes is just one person to deem an AI obsolete for the whole world to fall under chaos; that is just how much the reliance on technology has grown in humanity, both for better and worse.
As for the Mitchells story arc, like I mentioned before, it is admittedly a fairly standard plot about a parent and offspring needing to overcome their differences to connect again. However, to the film's credit, the characters themselves range from charmingly hysterical to surprisingly relatable. Katie represents the adorkably creative artist in many of today's generation, Rick is a good hearted albeit overly indulgent maniac of a dad trying to figure out today's youth, Linda is an overly perfectionist mother that demands the family be functional even at her most calm, and Katie's little brother Aaron might be the most hilarious dinosaur obsessed squirt since Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes (and their bug eyed potato dog Monchi is the cherry on top). This whole family of eccentric weirdos drive the film forward, especially compared to their allies and enemies, be it evil robots or family rivals. Not to mention, the whole cast clearly had a blast in their roles, especially Abbi Jacobson and Danny McBride being the most authentic as a quirky albeit frustrated teen and an overly impulsive father.
Out of all the animated features to be released this year right now, this film might have the most unique visuals and art direction yet. In addition to Lindsey Olivares' stylized character designs translating seamlessly in the SPA renderfarm, the animators did the most in exercising their acting chops to make the characters move like real people yet still feel appropriately exaggerated. The backgrounds are also a neat reflection of how the United States would look if it went from a neat colorful environment to a post apocalyptic sci-fi nightmare, with the right amount of special effects, color gradients and shadows to go along with the world-building. There are even nice additional 2D animated chunks that are either used in lieu of exposition or cute little add ons to the suspense in a given scene. The only genuine criticism to give the visuals is that sometimes those gimmicky effects and filters can be a little too frequent and even jarring, especially when some of the movie's humor is overly reliant on modern internet culture. Let's just say some of the filters could come off as jump scares.
I can't think of a better energetic romp of a film for the whole family to enjoy as much as this one. Not only is The Mitchells vs. The Machines an eye-catching twist on the family road dramedy genre, but it might be the most fun animated film released in a while. If Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation keep up this track record of enjoyable thrill rides disguised as innovative experiments, then there's no telling what the future holds for moviegoers. If you haven't seen the film yet, go on your Netflix account and give it a go. There's never been a better time to connect with your love of movies than now.
Hyperactive but heartfelt.
Pjtaylor-96-1380448 May 2021
'The Mitchells Vs The Machines (2021)' is an energetic, mile-a-minute family drama from producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (whose work includes '21 Jump Street (2012)', 'The Lego Movie (2014)' and 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)') that aims to prove that Sony Pictures Animation isn't just a one-trick pony (the aforementioned web-slinging surprise hit). It's definitely hyperactive, playing with 'internet culture' in a way that almost confirms stereotypes about modern day reduced attention spans. It doesn't dampen the experience, though; it just means that you have to adjust to its quick, almost unforgiving pace. Having said that, the story itself is actually rather slow to get going (it feels often unrelenting in the moment because there is often so much stuff packed into so little space). It's also a tad long on the whole and is, generally speaking, really predictable. These issues don't mean that the movie isn't entertaining, though. It's rather fun when it gets going and its characters feel relatively rounded. There are a handful of exciting set-pieces and the jokes land more often than they flop (though there are some cringe-worthy moments, for sure). The thing is also beautiful from a technical point of view. It's animation is lively, believable and full of joy. Actually watching the picture is enjoyable in and of itself. Overall, it's a solid animated effort with just about the right balance of humour and heart. 7/10.
Beautiful visuals, cringey humor
emccyu10 May 2021
The unique comic book style is great, but I can't give it a higher review because the humor is so grating. The jokes in this animation are basically weird/nonsensical = funny. Nty. The main character is unlikable-she reminded me too much of the self-labeled quirky people I've met, even down to the messy unhygienic look. The "quirky" personality and aesthetic just screams "I'm trying too hard to show I'm not like other people" and my family found the movie to ultimately be a cringefest. Those that share my preferences probably won't enjoy this movie as much.
Extraordinarily Beautiful
SleepingMorpheus30 April 2021
Only thing ordinary of this movie are the generic storyline and themes. Other than that this movie is so gorgeously animated with the unique style, character design, voice acting and nice touch of comedy. From the makers of Spiderverse, this movie's bloated runtime feels like a treat. You can see the love they put into it. Watch it with your family, its totally worth it.
Brilliant!
jennybrookman30 April 2021
Visually and audibly spectacular.
Ken_ZomgWtfBbq30 April 2021
A Rhombus of Infinite Subjugation...
Xstal1 May 2021
Many a true word said in jest in this jest packed production that successfully parodies a host of familial, social and technological scenarios and nails them with aplomb. You'll recognise something in all the characters that you're familiar with in the analogue, some traits a little closer to home than you might like, but take it on the chin, smile and embrace what you really can be - before it's too late and the machines try and take it from you.
exciting, but all over the place
BigDaddy40006 May 2021
Honestly it was a bit of a meh movie for me. I will give them credit for actually picking one genre and sticking with it (unlike the first trailer led me to believe) but it was still nothing too special. It was very exciting the entire time with plenty of action sequences and the animation and voice acting was great, but it was just so all over the place with a blantant uninterest for keeping its focus. The memeyness was pretty excessive and something i could do without, (not even to mention its going to make this movie incredibly dated in no time) and the script had a LOT of conventinces. I dunno, maybe its just because i was expecting a better plot from the creators of the lego movie and spider man: into the spider verse but the clunky script really hurt the film. But at least it wasnt the anti-technology propaganda movie i was expecting and actually ended with an overall positive attitude towards technology, that is a genuine positive for the movie.
An impressive animated action comedy
Tweekums9 May 2021
The Mitchells are a fairly typical, if slightly dysfunctional, family. Daughter Katie is a bit of an outsider at her school but is looking forward to attending film school in California... thousands of miles from her family. After an argument her father unilaterally decides that rather than have Katie take the plane as planned, the whole family will drive across the country together. Katie is unimpressed but soon she, her parents, her dinosaur obsessed brother and their pug are on their way. Shortly after they set off news comes thorough of a major technological advance; cell phones will soon be defunct; replaced by robots. As soon as the designer announced this the robots rebel and start capturing all humans. Only the Mitchells remain free; it will be up to them to save humanity!
I really enjoyed this animated film; there were plenty of laughs from start to finish as well as child friendly thrilling moments and mild scares. It might not be as philosophically deep as Pixar films but it still had something to say about family without being mawkish. It didn't over use pop culture references, and those that there were, such as the nods to 'Kill Bill' were subtle enough that those who don't get them won't be thinking they've missed something. The animation is impressive with good character designs and the voice cast do a fine job throughout. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; it is a lot of fun and suitable for all ages.
I really enjoyed this animated film; there were plenty of laughs from start to finish as well as child friendly thrilling moments and mild scares. It might not be as philosophically deep as Pixar films but it still had something to say about family without being mawkish. It didn't over use pop culture references, and those that there were, such as the nods to 'Kill Bill' were subtle enough that those who don't get them won't be thinking they've missed something. The animation is impressive with good character designs and the voice cast do a fine job throughout. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; it is a lot of fun and suitable for all ages.
Exhausting
evanston_dad17 March 2022
A loud, frenetic, and, if I'm being honest, pretty exhausting man vs. Technology animated film.
The funniest thing about the movie is the family dog, an adorable pug that sent me immediately to YouTube to look up cute pug videos. Otherwise, the film becomes a hot mess the longer it goes on, and by the end it's a complete assault on the senses.
This is one of the nominees for Best Animated Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards in a not-very-strong category.
Grade: B.
The funniest thing about the movie is the family dog, an adorable pug that sent me immediately to YouTube to look up cute pug videos. Otherwise, the film becomes a hot mess the longer it goes on, and by the end it's a complete assault on the senses.
This is one of the nominees for Best Animated Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards in a not-very-strong category.
Grade: B.
It's a perfect movie
michasmpo25 March 2022
Not a bad movie but...
austinrobinson198013 May 2021
I've seen worse. Some funny parts but not an original bone in its body. Cliche AF! And the horribly miscast adult voice over for the kid utterly destroyed the movie. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Not even close. I'd say nice try but it wasn't. What was the casting director thinking? And when something so obvious like that happens, one of two things is going on. Either the shot callers are all morons or the voice actor of that part begged or called in a favor. Hey, dude, it ain't the movie's fault your phone stopped ringing. When you're done, you're done. Stop what you're doing. It's despicable and you're making a mess. Thanks for ruining it for everyone else. Great job, guy.
It tried.. a little too hard
arbukle-john30 April 2021
This would have been a wonderful family film if only it wasn't trying so hard to be funny (and failing)
The forced in memes and full on trying to be quirky ruins the moment every 5 minutes.
I feel it was supposed to be a game that didn't quite get the ratings and they didn't want to scrap the story so just handed it off to Netflix to turn in to a film.
I feel it was supposed to be a game that didn't quite get the ratings and they didn't want to scrap the story so just handed it off to Netflix to turn in to a film.
9 Mitchell-in stars
maxlox12 June 2023
As Sony pictures animations next (who cares about angry birds 2?) big film after Spider verse, it's fair to say the Mitchells vs the machines had some very big shoes to fill. And yes, they may still be a few sizes too big, the Mitchells is an incredibly worthy successor to Spider verse and one of the greatest animated movies of all time.
I first want to mention the artstile. Coming off of the heels of Spider verse is not a very easy task, especially in the art department but the Mitchells passes in "flying colours!" (I'm so hilarious) there are even some areas of improvement. Such as, a complaint I've heard thrown at Spider verse is that its art style can be damaging to people with weaker eyesight. And, you know what, that's a valid criticism. But, the Mitchells vs the Machines is an incredible solution for people like that. It's colour pallets and character designs evoke cartoons and are very pleasing, especially for young children. The suburbs and Mitchell family have more intentional smudges and imperfect angles whilst the robot society has cooler colour schemes and more straight lines.
Okay, now, let's talk about the comedy, because it's good. It's a very different style to Spider verse and your preferences will probably come down to personal taste, but this movie will have better comedy for families. It's comedy is very character-based and focuses on exploring these quirky characters. My favourite character for comedy is the brother, Aron and his dinosaur obsession, but the dog, Monchi is a close second with his adorable obliviousness.
Speaking of the characters, they are absolutely amazing and subvert the tropes of their genres in unique ways. It's nice to see an actually functional sibling relationship and Aron's fears and struggles to keep his friendship with Katie amidst the robot apocalypse is a very clever way to work his character into the robot apocalypse aspect. And the relationship between Katie and her dad is incredibly well handled. This movie is so good at avoiding contrivances that make the road trip and robot apocalypse genres, like the outdoors man father is so much better when you get to see all that he sacrificed for his children and how much he cares, but just can't communicate with his daughter.
And the two robots are disguised as hilarious comic relief... which they are, but they also function as really sweet and compelling innocent children for the family to grow attached to.
---------------------------------------the end---------------------------------------------
I first want to mention the artstile. Coming off of the heels of Spider verse is not a very easy task, especially in the art department but the Mitchells passes in "flying colours!" (I'm so hilarious) there are even some areas of improvement. Such as, a complaint I've heard thrown at Spider verse is that its art style can be damaging to people with weaker eyesight. And, you know what, that's a valid criticism. But, the Mitchells vs the Machines is an incredible solution for people like that. It's colour pallets and character designs evoke cartoons and are very pleasing, especially for young children. The suburbs and Mitchell family have more intentional smudges and imperfect angles whilst the robot society has cooler colour schemes and more straight lines.
Okay, now, let's talk about the comedy, because it's good. It's a very different style to Spider verse and your preferences will probably come down to personal taste, but this movie will have better comedy for families. It's comedy is very character-based and focuses on exploring these quirky characters. My favourite character for comedy is the brother, Aron and his dinosaur obsession, but the dog, Monchi is a close second with his adorable obliviousness.
Speaking of the characters, they are absolutely amazing and subvert the tropes of their genres in unique ways. It's nice to see an actually functional sibling relationship and Aron's fears and struggles to keep his friendship with Katie amidst the robot apocalypse is a very clever way to work his character into the robot apocalypse aspect. And the relationship between Katie and her dad is incredibly well handled. This movie is so good at avoiding contrivances that make the road trip and robot apocalypse genres, like the outdoors man father is so much better when you get to see all that he sacrificed for his children and how much he cares, but just can't communicate with his daughter.
And the two robots are disguised as hilarious comic relief... which they are, but they also function as really sweet and compelling innocent children for the family to grow attached to.
---------------------------------------the end---------------------------------------------
Chaotic and Genius
amrworkplace22 April 2022
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