THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – (L-R) Maya Rudolph as “Linda Mitchell”, Abbi Jacobson as “Katie Mitchell”, Mike Rianda as “Aaron Mitchell”, Doug the Pug as “Monchi” and Danny McBride as “Rick Mitchell”. Cr: Netflix / © 2021
The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix is a fun animated story about a quirky, dysfunctional family’s road trip when upended, they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope! I was able to see some exclusive footage during the NYICFF and it looked great. After seeing the footage, I was really excited to see the movie with my family!
What we loved about The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Overall, The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a great family movie with beautiful themes of why family is important, that all families are different, the importance of working together, and to hold on tightly to the ones most important to you.
Another theme The Mitchells vs. The Machines encourages is that difference should be celebrated and embracing what is uniquely you.
The original movie title was “Connected,” and that double meaning is an important theme that is carried throughout the film, reminding us to be connected to other humans in a world that encourages us to connect to people and the world through technology.
The two different styles of animation used in The Mitchells vs. The Machines made the film unique. The more illustrative, hand-painted animation is seen much less these days so it’s a nice touch to see combined with the realism seen in most CG films.
And if you are into music, the soundtrack for The Mitchells vs. The Machines was baller.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – Abbi Jacobson as “Katie Mitchell”. Cr: ©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
Inclusion in The Mitchells vs. The Machines
My favorite part of The Mitchells vs. The Machines is the representation and inclusion that it shows. Throughout the film, Katie struggles to find her voice. She even talks about how it took her a long time to figure out who she was, but she finally did. And she wears her rainbow on her hoodie to show you she’s proud to be queer.
Katie is the big sister we all needed as a child—she’s totally herself, wildly creative, a great big sister, hilarious, queer, and excited to dive into her passions at college and take the step toward her future.
What didn’t work about The Mitchells vs. The Machines
The Mitchells vs. The Machines was much too long for what it was. At just shy of 2 hours, the fast-paced, vibrant, movie of color explosion is just too much. Shortened by 30 minutes, it probably would have been perfect. It’s a lot of visual stimulation, and to be honest, I still haven’t figured out who the target audience is. The movie is too long and the subject matter is too deep for small children, and high schoolers and adults—generally speaking—aren’t going to be going gangbusters for this as a whole. Middle schoolers maybe a good target range, but only some. We have two and only the one who is less mature was into it. The other thought it was “lame.”
We got to 1 hour and 11 minutes, and my husband looked over at me and said, “OMG is there really another 42 minutes of this?” We have 4 kids. We’d watched a LOT of movies and movies we didn’t necessarily love, so that says a lot.
Watch The Mitchells vs. The Machines Trailer
Watch The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix April 30
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights (excluding China) to The Mitchells vs. The Machines (formerly Connected) from Sony Pictures Animation. The Mitchells vs. The Machines is on Netflix April 30, 2021.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – (Pictured) “PAL Max robots”. Cr: ©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
The original animated comedy is produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller whose film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The Mitchells vs. The Machines is directed by Mike Rianda and co-directed by Jeff Rowe. The screenplay is written by Rianda and Rowe. The film stars Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Mike Rianda, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Blake Griffin, Fred Armisen, John Legend, Chrissy Teigan, Sasheer Zamata, Connan O’Brien, and Doug The Pug.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – Doug the Pug as “Monchi”. Cr: ©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
About The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix
From the humans who brought you the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The LEGO Movie comes The Mitchells vs. The Machines, an animated action-comedy about an ordinary family who finds themselves in the middle of their biggest family challenge yet…saving the world from the robot apocalypse.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – (L-R) Danny McBride as “Rick Mitchell”, Abbi Jacobson as “Katie Mitchell”, Maya Rudolph as “Linda Mitchell”, Mike Rianda as “Aaron Mitchell” and Doug the Pug as “Monchi”. Cr: ©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
No big deal, right? It all starts when creative outsider Katie Mitchell is accepted into the film school of her dreams and is eager to leave home and find “her people,” when her nature-loving dad insists on having the whole family drive her to school and bond during one last totally-not-awkward-or-forced road trip.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – (L-R) Maya Rudolph as “Linda Mitchell”, Abbi Jacobson as “Katie Mitchell”, Doug the Pug as “Monchi”, Mike Rianda as “Aaron Mitchell” and Danny McBride as “Rick Mitchell”. Cr: ©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
But just when the trip can’t get any worse, the family suddenly finds itself in the middle of the robot uprising! Everything from smartphones to Roombas, to evil Furbys, are employed to capture every human on the planet. Now it’s up to the Mitchells, including upbeat mom Linda, quirky little brother Aaron, their squishy pug, Monchi, and two friendly, but simple-minded robots to save humanity.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES – Abbi Jacobson as “Katie Mitchell”. Cr: ©2021 SPAI. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by Michael Rianda (Gravity Falls), produced by Oscar winners Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and Kurt Albrecht, and featuring the voices of Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Beck Bennett, Fred Armisen, Eric Andre, and Oscar winner Olivia Colman, The Mitchells vs. The Machines is about embracing the things that make us unique, learning what it means to be human in a world increasingly filled with technology, and holding tight to the people most important to you when the unexpected hits.
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