New to Netflix, The Mitchells vs. The Machines is the next animated movie you and your family are craving.
- That Lord and Miller feeling hits home: Produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Lego Movie. Need I say more? Well, I will, in that it’s obvious that they had an influence on making sure that the movie focused on the relationships as much as the action, just like their previous work.
- Intense, exciting action (with a caveat): Although full of laughs, action, and heart, some parts of the movie may be too intense for younger kids. The machines are attacking and coming after people to kidnap them, which could cause anxiety.
- Who will enjoy this: Tweens on up will really get something out of this movie as they may be able to relate to the growing-up problems the Mitchell kids are facing.
- You will love Monchi the ‘pug:’ Is he a dog or a pig? That is the important question (perhaps for the salvation of our planet). Either way, he is lovable, quirky, and very quickly steals the movie.
- The voice cast is great: The cast is led by Abbi Jacobson as Katie, an aspiring filmmaker who has to find independence, but still connect with her parents. Katie’s parents are voiced by Danny McBride and Maya Rudolph. Rounding out the voices, there is Eric André, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen and many more.
- The whole Tron aesthetic is awesome. The machines, led by Pal, voiced by Olivia Colman, create their own world highly reminiscent of Tron. In fact, the whole premise of the machines rebelling brings back the vibe of Master Control Program.
- Solid animation style: The movie is very self-aware and you can see that through its use of multiple animation styles. Often the movie pulls in side-animations to illustrate a feeling or action, much like Katie would create in her own movies. It uses a similar technique that you see in the film version of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (which we ended up revisiting after finishing The Mitchells).
- Use of montages: This film has a couple of key moments that feature montages of Katie’s younger life through watching old home videos. Like Up!, you immediately feel for the characters and are able to emotionally connect.
- Mom kicking butt: The machines learn quickly that you do not threaten Linda Mitchell’s kids. Her transformation from mild, just-trying-to-keep-the-peace mom to warrior bent on rescuing her kids can’t be missed.
- When’s a good time for a restroom break: It’s a pretty tight movie, so one would be hard-pressed to find a moment. However, since this is streaming on Netflix you can always pause, right?
Note: Robin Musetti-Denmead helped with this post.
