Family Bonds rule over the Machines

The Mitchells vs The Machines

by Kathia Woods

The hardest thing for a parent is letting go and letting your child spread its wings. The Mitchells vs. the Machine is a great family adventure with a quirky heroine named Katie (Abbi Jacobson) looking to embark on her well-planned future. She loves technology, making home videos that she uploads on her YouTube channel. Most importantly, she dreams of the day when she is finally separated from her overbearing family. Like all future college freshmen, she planned out her whole first semester of liberty. Only one problem her family, specifically her father, isn’t entirely on board with her plans. Katie and Rick are at a crossroads in the father and daughter relationship. She loves technology, and he’s technology illiterate. He’s practical, and she’s innovative. Navigating this feud between Father and Daughter is naturally mom, aka Linda Mitchell (Maya   Rudolph), master of unusual cupcakes.

As if this doesn’t make for a complex mixture add-in technology. It seems an Alexis type of app is tired of being at the service of a very demanding boss. This dissatisfaction sets of a collapse of the world. The machines are about to take over.

The beauty of The Mitchells vs. The Machines is that it’s one of the most endearing films of the year despite these running themes. Director/Co-writer Mike Rianda and co-writer Jeff Lowe drafted an incredible love letter to young people everywhere.

The animation is modern and dynamic. The film has moments of humor and heartfelt moments that will even draw in adults. The cherry on top is getting academy award winner Olivia Colman to portray the evil assistant, stellar casting.

The Mitchells vs. the Machine at heart is about family. It shows that despite an ever-changing world, family matters. It’s this beacon of family bond that is at the essence of this fun story. This regular family is going to need to work together to save the world from the machines.   

This film will also center the importance of humanity over machines. Machines can make our lives easier, but we will always need human interaction.

The other important point is that we at times have become too dependent on machines/phones etc. We see how in a fun way; the directors demonstrate that Pal felt taken advantage of. This ties into my above point how we are often too dependent on apps etc., for tasks. It begs to harbor what many of you would do if said app stops functioning; think of Instagram being down and how it sends many into a panic.

It’s fantastic that the Mitchells vs the Machines makes these important statements while allowing us to enjoy the film.

The other upside of this film is the celebration of Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobsen); the apocalypse is interrupting her future. She’s dreamed for years of going to Film School and connecting with like minds. Her father wanting to take a road trip to have the family bond one last time was not in her vision. She feels resentful because her classmates are having fun while she’s stuck on the road trip from hell.

Katie and Dad each learn an essential lesson in the process of the collapse of the world.

No one is perfect, but each of us brings something unique to the family dynamic—her love of technology and his love for gadgets and quirky things. In many ways, they are two sides of the same coin.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a great family film. It has strong messaging but fun characters. Netflix is often underestimated when it comes to family films and animation. This film demonstrates that Netflix has a strong understanding of family entertainment. The casting is spot, particularly Maya Rudolph as the mom.

This entry is solid, seeing that most of the summer offerings this year will be more mature. So, grab the family around the couch and go on a fun road trip with the Mitchells.