By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Every few years, Hollywood cranks out another robot apocalypse, most of which end up becoming forgotten the moment they leave theaters, but one film never had the chance to air on the biggest screens possible. The Mitchells vs the Machines was supposed to hit theaters in September 2020, but thanks to COVID, that never happened, and as theaters were slow to open up, the film was pulled by Sony and sold directly to Netflix. A loss for theaters was a win for the streaming company, which is now the exclusive home of one of the best family movies this decade.
One Of The Funniest Family Movies Of All Time
The Mitchells vs The Machines is exactly what it sounds like: it’s about the Mitchells, a normal family that loves each other but struggles to live together, facing off against rampaging renegade machines under the influence of an AI out for revenge after being discarded by humans. Along their cross-country trip, the family bonds, the kids see their parents differently, the parents understand their kids are different with their own hopes and dreams, and yes, they chop apart lots and lots of robots. It’s not an original story, but that’s alright, because it’s a great story with legit laugh-out-loud moments.
Stuffed full of visual gags and fun character moments, like Aaron, the young son of Rick and Linda Mitchell, who goes through the phone book to find someone to talk about dinosaurs with him, The Mitchells vs The Machines isn’t afraid to be a movie that’s really for all ages. When the evil robot PAL turns off the WiFi, it takes mere seconds for the world to descend into chaos, with bands of humans willing to offer sacrifices to restore the WiFi. Free WiFi even calms down the passengers trapped on a rocket to be sent into space, a gag that elicits a chuckle, but it’s also a little depressing because, honestly, that’s what it would be like.
The All-Star Team Behind The Camera
The Mitchells vs The Machines was destined to become a cult hit thanks to the comedic minds behind the story, Mike Rianda and JEff Rowe, the creators of the hit series Gravity Falls, and the prdocuers, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the minds behind 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie, and the Spider-Verse movies. Bringing the characters to life is a star-studded voice cast featuring Danny McBride as Rick, Maya Rudolph as Linda, Abbi Jacobson (from Broad City) as Kate, and Rianda as Aaron, and a handful of other bit roles. Supporting them are Eric Andre, Fred Armisen, Conan O’Brien, and NBA star Blake Griffin, with Olivia Colman as PAL.
Never given a chance in theaters, The Mitchells vs The Machines instead has to be content with becoming Netflix’s most-watched animated movie of all time, with over 58 million viewers during its first month of release. Since then, the film has become a hit on social media and has made multiple appearances in the streamer’s top ten. It’s well-deserved, and a family movie that’s both funny and heartwarming is worth its weight in gold on streaming, especially when it can be played over and over and over again.
