The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)

Directed by: Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe | 113 minutes | animation, adventure | Original voice cast: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Eric André, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Charlyne Yi, Blake Griffin, Conan O’Brien

In the animated film ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ we are introduced to the chaotic Mitchell family. Adolescent daughter Katie is an artistic misfit, son Aaron has been in a dinosaur phase since birth, father Rick is a man of 1000 solutions (none of which work) and mother Linda tries to keep the mess together. That is not easy, because Katie and her father are always at each other’s hair. Katie wants to be independent, Rick wants to protect his daughter.

Against the background of these family tensions, another issue plays a role: humanity is in danger of perishing as a result of a robot revolt. A tech giant has cut itself in the fingers with its self-learning robots. Led by a maddened virtual assistant, the robots want to shoot the entire human race into space. Since the Mitchells are also part of humanity (just recently), they need to forget their fights for a while and unite in resistance.

The makers of ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ took a good look at successful contemporaries. Just like in ‘Inside Out’ serious adolescent problems are dealt with here. As in ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’, digital technology plays an important role. And just like in ‘Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse’, the slick animations are regularly enhanced with cartoonish pop-ups. These slightly naive cartoons are taken from Katie’s sketchbook and are one of the comic elements of the film.

There is no shortage of humor and intelligent ideas here. The joke density is high and the jokes are almost always successful. We see a hilarious piece with Furbys brought to life, we laugh every time at the mantra ‘Dog-Pig-Loaf of Bread’ (we’re not going to explain) and we see a digibe dad desperately trying to get on the internet. And of course there’s a funny pet, in this case an unsightly pug that doubles as a safety shield.

Unfortunately, the film is sometimes a bit sentimental and moralistic, but this provides the necessary moments of peace. This more serious tone is also reflected in the criticism of high-tech companies and their unworldly owners. All in all ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ is an energetic comedy with a sweet undertone and a few wise lessons. Most importantly, get a pug and remember the mantra “Dog-Pig-Loaf of Bread.” In case the robots revolt.