Rianda conceived the film after completing work on the animated seriesGravity Falls in 2015. The project was announced in May 2018. To achieve a "hand-painted watercolor" style, technology was reused from the previous Sony Picture Animation film,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Lord and Miller's frequent collaboratorMark Mothersbaugh composed the score.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines was planned for theatrical release bySony Pictures Releasing under the titleConnected in 2020. Due to the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic on theaters, Sony sold the distribution rights toNetflix outside of China. Netflix retitled it to Rianda and Rowe's original title, and gave it alimited release in the United States on April 23, 2021[3] before its streaming release a week later on April 30.
Katie Mitchell is a quirky aspiring teenage filmmaker inKentwood, Michigan, who often clashes with her father Rick, a middle-aged, nature-obsessed andtechnophobic man, and has recently been accepted into film school in California. In September 2020, the evening before Katie leaves, Rick accidentally breaks her laptop after a fight over one of her short films, leading the family to fear their relationship will permanently be strained. Attempting to prevent this, Rick decides to cancel Katie's flight and instead take her, her mother Linda, younger brother Aaron, and family dog Monchi on a cross-country road trip to her college as one last bonding experience, much to Katie's chagrin.
Meanwhile, tech entrepreneur Mark Bowman declares his highly intelligentAIvirtual assistant PAL obsolete as he unveils a new line of home robots to replace her. As revenge for Mark casting her aside, PAL orders all the robots to capture humans worldwide and launch them into space. The Mitchells avoid capture at a roadstop café inKansas. Rick decides that his family should stay put in the café for their own safety, but Katie convinces him to help save the world instead. They meet two defective robots, Eric and Deborahbot 5000, who tell the family they can use a kill code to shut down PAL and all the robots.
The Mitchells make it to a mall in easternColorado[4] to upload the kill code, but PAL chip-enabled appliances attempt to stop them. Katie tries to upload the kill code, but is stopped when a giantFurby pursues the family. They ultimately trap and defeat the Furby, destroying a PAL router in the process, which disables the hostile devices but stops the kill code from uploading. On the way toSilicon Valley to upload the kill code directly to PAL, Linda reveals to Katie that she and Rick had originally lived in a cabin in the mountains years ago as it was his lifelong dream before he gave up on it to provide for their growing family.
Upon arriving in Silicon Valley, the Mitchells disguise themselves as robots and head to PAL Labs HQ to shut it down, until PAL shows surveillance footage from the café of Katie telling Aaron in secret that she was pretending to have faith in Rick so that he would take them to upload the kill code. Heartbroken by this revelation, Rick accidentally blows their cover, and he and Linda are captured by PAL's recently upgraded robots. PAL then reprograms Eric and Deborahbot to obey her, while Katie, Aaron, and Monchi escape.
Katie discovers Rick's recordings of her childhood on her camera, realizing that Rick gave up on his lifelong dream to give his daughter a normal life. In the meantime, Rick reflects on his actions after seeing one of Katie's videos that mirrors their relationship. Reinvigorated, Katie and Aaron infiltrate PAL Labs HQ again, this time using Monchi to malfunction the robots, as his appearance causes an error in their programming. With help from Mark, Rick and Linda free themselves and plan to upload Katie's home movie of Monchi to short-circuit the robots. However, Rick is outnumbered by the robots when he is about to upload the video, while Katie and Aaron are captured.
Facing PAL to justify saving humanity, Katie explains that no matter how hard her family struggles, they will always stay connected in spite of their differences. PAL rejects this reasoning and drops Katie from her lair. Eric and Deborahbot, having been inspired by Rick's "reprogramming" of himself that allowed him to use a computer, revert to their malfunctioning states and upload Katie's home movie, saving her and helping the rest of the Mitchells. As the Mitchells band together to fight the rest of the robots, Katie destroys PAL by throwing her into a glass of water, freeing all the humans and disabling the remaining robots. Eric and Deborahbot are spared via their malfunction.
A few months after the uprising, Katie and her family arrive at her college as she shares one last goodbye with them. She later joins them on another road trip with Eric and Deborahbot to Washington, D.C. to accept theCongressional Gold Medal.
Aaron Mitchell, the dinosaur-loving son of Rick and Linda, and Katie's younger brother
A talking dog
The Furbies
A Giant Furby
A Wi-Fi enthusiast
Eric André as Dr. Mark Bowman, a scientist who is the founder of PAL Labs and creator of PAL
Olivia Colman as PAL, a self-aware and ruthlessAIvirtual assistant created by Mark, who wants to exact revenge on humankind after being discarded as obsolete[6]
Fred Armisen as Deborahbot 5000, a damaged PAL Max robot from PAL Labs who helps the Mitchells[7]
In 2015, after completing his tenure on theDisney Channel/Disney XD animated seriesGravity Falls, writer and directorMike Rianda was approached bySony Pictures Animation, which asked him if he was willing to pitch any feature film ideas to them, to which he agreed.[11] When brainstorming, Rianda drove down to his hometown of Salinas, California and recorded a list of potential ideas for a feature. He then settled on developing a story that combined his own personal experiences with his family, as well as his childhood fascination with robots.[12] He made his own manifesto of the film titled "Control, Alt, ESCAPE!", which was the original title of the film before the reveal; inspired byDogme 95 films,Studio Ghibli's designs, 1960s-esque photography, and teenagers' drawings.[13] Sony co-produced the film in collaboration with Hong Kong'sOne Cool Films,[14][15] with its founderLouis Koo financially backing the film and serving as an executive producer.[16][17]
Further details were revealed a year later at the 2019Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June, when Sony Animation presidentKristine Belson revealed that the film would be using an animation style similar toSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and that the worlds the Mitchell family and the robots live in are initially separate universes before colliding,[20] a concept that was not included in the completed film.
On February 20, 2020, first images were revealed throughEntertainment Weekly, and it was announced the title was changed toConnected.[6] The film was renamed back toThe Mitchells vs. the Machines after Sony sold the distribution rights toNetflix on January 21, 2021.[2] According to Rianda, the title was reverted because neither he nor Netflix's executives were impressed with the second title.[21]
Doug the Pug made his film debut inThe Mitchells vs. the Machines as the voice of Monchi.
On February 19, 2020,Abbi Jacobson was cast as Katie Mitchell.[22] This was followed by casting announcements forDanny McBride,Maya Rudolph, Rianda,Eric André, andOlivia Colman the next day.[6] During a watch party forSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that was held on Twitter on May 6, 2020, Lord confirmed thatBlake Griffin had joined the cast as one of the robots.[8]
On March 23, 2021, ahead of the film's Netflix release, more cast members were confirmed to be starring in the film, includingFred Armisen,Chrissy Teigen,John Legend,Charlyne Yi,Conan O'Brien,Alex Hirsch, andJay Pharoah, among others.[23] Hirsch later announced that he was also serving as a creative consultant on the film.[24] In what is believed to be a first for an animated film,Doug the Pug, a real-life dog that was popular on social media, provided the "voice" for Monchi, who is based on Rianda's own childhood dog Monchichi. While they had originally considered using human voice actors for Monchi as typically done, they wanted to make the movie as authentic as possible and sought out Doug's owners to use his barks and other sounds for the film.[25]
Following the release of the first trailer, Lord confirmed on Twitter that his and Miller's frequent collaborator,Mark Mothersbaugh, composed the score for the film, which also makes it his sixth collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation, following his previous work in theCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs andHotel Transylvania film series.[26] In January 2021, director Rianda revealed on Twitter that the movie's soundtrack will incorporate songs from various artists, includingLos Campesinos!,Sigur Rós,Talking Heads,Grimes,Le Tigre, PRTY H3RO,The Mae Shi andMadeon, as well as a brand new original song byAlex Lahey.[27] A soundtrack album containing Mothersbaugh's score and Lahey's song "On My Way" (which was played during the end credits) was released bySony Classical Records on April 30, 2021, the same day as its Netflix release.[28]
The film's animation was handled bySony Pictures Imageworks, who had animated the majority of Sony Pictures Animation's films beforehand. According to Christopher Miller, Rianda wanted “hand-painted watercolor style” look for the film, and much of the technology used forSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was reused forThe Mitchells vs. the Machines to achieve this while new tools were created. UnlikeInto the Spider-Verse's comic-book style visuals and techniques,Mitchells predominately used 2D-style effects to mimic the look oftraditionally-animated films, including the use of squiggles for fur and watercolor brush strokes for elements such as trees and bushes.[29] To emphasize Katie Mitchell's emotions during certain scenes, the team additionally implemented a technique called "Katie-Vision", which implements stock 2D and live-action footage alongside the CG animation.[30]
When it came to designing the robot elements, the animators went for a sleeker, polished design to contrast with the watercolor style for the humans. For the PAL MAX Prime robots, animation supervisor Alan Hawkins invented a method that allows the robots to break apart mid-movement via negative space, inspired by the morphing effects used for theT-1000 as seen in the filmTerminator 2: Judgment Day. According to Hawkins, he invented tools that would allow animators to "slice through the character [like a knife]", and allowed each one to have their different approach as well.[31] Mike Lasker served as visual effects supervisor after having previously worked onInto the Spider-Verse, while Lindsey Olivares served as the film's lead character and overall production designer.[29][30] FormerGravity Falls alumniDana Terrace (creator ofThe Owl House) andMatt Braly (creator ofAmphibia) worked as storyboard artists on the film, but ultimately both went uncredited.[32] Animation work begun in May 2019, as confirmed by animator Nick Kondo on Twitter.[33] The film was officially completed on September 16, 2020.[34]
The Mitchells vs. the Machines was originally scheduled to be theatrically released bySony Pictures Releasing in the United States on January 10, 2020,[35] but was later delayed to September 18 of that year.[6] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed again to October 23.[36] The film was later removed from the release schedule in October, though the film was still set to be released later in 2020 at the time of the film's removal.[37]
On January 21, 2021,Netflix bought the worldwide distribution rights to the film for about $110 million, with Sony retaining home entertainment and theatrical distribution rights in China.[2][38] Two months later on March 23, they announced that the film would be released on April 30,[23] following a limited theatrical release a week earlier on April 23.[3] In advance of its home video release, the film received a two-day theatrical release on November 20–21, 2021 as a cinema event at theaters carryingIconic Events programming.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines was released onBlu-ray,DVD, and Digital HD on December 14, 2021 bySony Pictures Home Entertainment.[39][40] Among the special features included are the Blu-ray exclusive short filmDog Cop 7: The Final Chapter directed by story artist Caitlin VanArsdale and written by Mike Rianda with puppets made byHomestar Runner creatorsthe Brothers Chaps, an extended version similar toSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Alternate Universe Mode titled Katie's Extended Cinematic Bonanza Cut, an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and making of featurettes.[41]
Netflix reported in July 2021 from their quarterly earnings report thatThe Mitchells vs. the Machines had become the service's most-viewed animated work, with 53 million households having watched the film in the first 28 days of availability.[42]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 213 reviews with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Eye-catching and energetic,The Mitchells vs. the Machines delivers a funny, feel-good story that the whole family can enjoy."[43] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[44]
Benjamin Lee ofThe Guardian gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, stating that, "The frantic, anything-goes nature of their films, both in tone and visuals, belies a tight focus on storytelling and dialogue with sight gags and set pieces used to supplement rather than distract" and "It’s also genuinely funny, a credit not only to the hit-a-minute script but also to a finely picked cast of comic actors, of unusually high calibre," while also praising the animation, calling it "part of the energetic oeuvre ofPhil Lord and Chris Miller."[45] Matt Fowler ofIGN gave the film an 8 out of 10, stating that "The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a ridiculous, riotous, and relevant adventure fill with great humor and winning sentiment. It's fast-moving and gorgeous to behold, filled with quirks, quips, and a lovably goblin-like pug ("voiced" by IG-famousDoug the Pug). It's a good time for both younglings and elders, delivering an intelligently goofy rush of new animation and old emotion."[46]
David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, stating that "Ultimately, this is an original adventure that feels stitched together out of a hundred familiar film plots, often freely acknowledging its pop-cultural plundering, as in the family’s obligatory slo-mo power strut away from a building exploding in flames. But for audiences content with rapid-fire juvenilia, the busy patchwork of prefab elements will be entertaining enough" although he said that "I wish the film’s laughs were as consistent as its energy, giving its able voice cast better material, and that there had been more distinctive story beats."[47]
Richard Trenholm ofCNET also gave the film a positive review, stating that "one of the best new family movies on Netflix" and that it is a "family film that has a message for all the family, not just the youngsters. Yes, like most films of this ilk it encourages kids to be themselves. But it also nudges parents not to stress about social media, and to value their kids' creativity -- even if what the kids create doesn't make a lick of sense."[48] Brian Tallerico ofRogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, calling the film "Like a mash-up of an ‘80s family road comedy likeVacation and the visions of a tech apocalypse foretold in films likeThe Terminator,” Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” is a lot of nostalgic fun but told in a modern style" and stating that it is "threaded with clever commentary on our reliance on tech and featuring some incredibly strong design work, this is a pleasant surprise for families looking for something new this season, and one of the more purely enjoyable Netflix animated films in a while."[49]
The film was praised by critics for putting anLGBT character, Katie, as the central figure of a family-oriented animated movie.[50][51] Rianda and Rowe wrote Katie to be unambiguously LGBT in consultation with LGBT members of their production team, but did not seek to make it part of the central conflict with her father, considering her sexuality "normal in real life".[52] Michelle Yang ofNBC News gave the film a positive review and lauded the film for itsLGBTQ+ representation (particularly the character of Katie, whom she called a relatable and inspirational protagonist), stating that the film "treats its protagonist's identity matter-of-factly but with care — which is exactly how it ought to be."[53]Parasite directorBong Joon-ho listedThe Mitchells as one of his favorite films of 2021.[54]
Metacritic reported thatThe Mitchells vs The Machines appeared on over 31 film critics' top-ten lists for 2021, only the first two animated films appeared on the list this year along withFlee. The film ranked first and second on 4 and 3 lists, respectively.[55] It ranks on Rotten Tomatoes' Best Science Fiction Movies of 2021.[56]
Geoffrey G. Rubay (supervising sound editor); James Morioka (supervising adr editor); John Pospisil (sound designer); Greg Ten Bosch, Dan Kenyon, Alec G. Rubay, Andy Sisul, Kip Smedley (sound editors); Curt Schulkey (adr editor);Gregg Barbanell, Rick Owens (foley artists); Dominick Certo, Barbara McDermott (music editors)
In an interview withFandango in November 2021, Michael Rianda hinted at the idea of a sequel, stating he had ideas for one and that there are "some folks who are excited about that idea".[84]
A sequel was confirmed in October 2025, with Guillermo Martinez and JP Sans set to direct, and theMolyneux sisters set to write the script. Lord, Miller and Albrecht will return to produce, while Rianda will serve as executive producer. Like its predecessor,Netflix is set to distribute the film.[85]
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