ANI-MOVIES, *The Mitchells Vs. The Machines

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines was Sony Pictures Animation's biggest direct-to-Netflix release before K-Pop Demon Hunters. Originally intended to premiere in theaters in 2021, the pandemic put the kibosh on that plan and the movie instead ended up coming out on Netflix. Directed and written by Gravity Falls co-creator Mike Rianda, he co-wrote this with Jeff Rowe from Disenchantment and it was produced along with Lord Miller Productions who most fans would know from The Lego Movie. Rianda intended for his film to have imagery similar to that which Sony previously did on Spider-Man: Enter The Spider-Verse as some of the animation looks CGI while merging it with graffiti art design. The best way to describe the plot is that it's National Lampoon's Vacation meets Terminator 2 as it has a troubled family have to pull together during a robot apocalypse.

The suburban family of the Mitchells consider themselves as one of worst in the neighborhood, even though their behavior is much more common than they realize. The elder sibling Katie has become popular online with her own films which are filled with memes, but her talent has earned her a spot in a California film school, so she's moving out with the rest of her family dealing with her upcoming absence, especially her father Rick who just doesn't understand digital technology. The mother Linda is savvy enough to work a smart phone, and their son Aaron is an introvert who can only express himself around Katie. Rick decides that instead of letting Katie just fly to California that the Mitchells will drive all the way to her new school which send Katie into a huge cringe. All this would make for a decent road trip movie, except a brilliant computer programmer creates a new AI system with shiny new robot assistance instead of a handheld phone. The robots rebel against their creator as the previous AI system named PAL has taken over all the robots and the entire internet launching a full-scale upheaval capturing all the humans in the world, except for the Mitchells. Now, Katie and the others need to use her quirky creative skills, Rick's technophobia, Aaron's wanting to know his fellow dinosaur-loving neighbor better, and Linda's tight devotion to her family to try and fight their way through an empire of flying laser-shooting robots to halt PAL's plans. What follows is a mad dash of movie tropes, multiple liar reveal mix-ups, and enough memes to bury every digital hub in Norway. However, the movie does manage to pull it off with a satisfying conclusion with the Mitchells learning to accept each other's differences and come together to eventually save the world in a visually spectacle that makes for a breathtaking final battle.

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, which for a while was given the bland title of Connected, probably got lucky first premiering on streaming instead of in theaters. This is film splendidly shows how the gap between generations can simultaneously divide and strengthen a family's dynamic. The plot does expect you to just not ask any questions and enjoy the ride despite the practically transcendent leaps in logic that even an animated sci-fi comedy can make. There are plans for a sequel in the works with different writers and directors, although chances are there is enough love for the original to validate it.