The Mitchells vs the Machines
The Mitchells vs the Machines is a highlight in a sea of slapstick comedy animated movies that has come out in the past ten years. Instead of relying on dull or repetitive humor, The Mitchells vs the Machines uses comedy that can be relatable to both an older and younger audience.
The 2021 Comedy follows the Mitchells, a once close family now strained by their only daughter, Katie’s and her dad’s conflicting personalities. Desperate to reconnect, Rick decides to have the family embark on a cross country roadtrip to drop Katie off at her first year of college. However, their plans get derailed when a new generation of smart-product robots get rebooted to take over the world. The antagonist, the leader of the robots, is Pal, a fictional version of Apple’s Siri. When Pal feels disregarded by her owner and creator, she decides to take revenge. This is an excellent parallel to Rick’s feeling of abandonment from Katie, but with two very different reactions. Now, Katie and her family must find a way to save the world from total doom, while learning about each other and how to communicate with each other.
An animated feature has never won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and only two have ever been nominated for the award. So, Why The Mitchells vs the Machines?
The answer lies in not only the quality of animation and humor, but also the message of communication and work that must go into relationships, especially a strained one between that of Parent and Child. Many teenagers about to go to college or move out, will relate to the lack of relatability Katie feels to her dad; Many parents will relate to Rick’s desire to not lose what little connection he has to his daughter. Not to mention the anxiety Katie’s little brother, Aaron, feels as Katie prepares to leave, and their mother, Linda’s, desire to help Katie and Rick find common ground. There are many movies with a more ‘hidden message’ but The Mitchells vs the Machines has characters and themes that so many can relate to.
Overall, The Mitchells vs the Machines is a refreshing kids movie that can be relatable to an older audience. The message of the movie is an obvious one, but a powerful one, that mixes nostalgia with the future, and tradition with new experiences. While there’s been other animated movies that deserve the nomination for Best Picture, The Mitchells vs the Machines is one of the first that deserves the win; Even among the other wonderful pictures that came out in 2021.