Ahead of the March 27 ceremony, the nominations for the 94th Academy Awards have been announced. Netflix’s Benedict Cumberbatch-starring westernThe Power of the Doghas been nominated for a whopping 12 awards, withDune,Belfast, andWest Side Storyclose behind. There are many great nominees for Best Animated Feature Film at this year’s Oscars.Fleeis a poignant docudrama about a man forced to flee his country,EncantoandRaya and the Last Dragonare a pair of enrapturing Disney fairy tales with dazzling visuals, andLucais a riveting fantasy adventure about sea creatures framed by Pixar as a sun-drenched Éric Rohmer-style European hangout movie.
But arguably the best of the nominees – and the one most deserving of taking home the gold – isThe Mitchells vs. the Machines. Another Netflix original,The Mitchells vs. the Machineshas a near-perfect 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating universal praise from critics. It was co-helmed by Mike Rianda, best known forhis work onGravity Falls, in his feature directorial debut. Rianda wrote the movie with co-director Jeff Rowe and it was produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Lord and Miller might not be household names in the mainstream, but their work onThe Lego Movie,Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, andSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versehas made them highly regarded animation filmmakers.
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The Mitchells vs. the Machinescould best be described as “National Lampoon’s VacationmeetstheTerminatorfranchise.” While a contentious family embarks on a road trip to drop off their eldest child Katie at film school, a tech mogul releases a line of robot butlers that quickly become sentient and execute a plan to bundle the entire human race onto a giant spaceship and send them deep into the cosmos to die. Pretty soon, the vacationing Mitchell family becomes the only force standing between the sentient cyborg army and the completion of their world-ending plot. The star-studded voice cast includes Abbi Jacobson as Katie, Danny McBride as her dad, Maya Rudolph as her mom, Rianda himself as her dinosaur-obsessed younger brother, Eric André as the unscrupulous tech mogul responsible for the robot uprising, andOlivia Colmanas the renegade virtual assistant who leads the machines into battle.
The Execution Overcomes The Premise’s “Boomer” Vibes
The premise of a middle-aged dad trying to get his wife and kids to look up from their phones initially has ominous “boomer” vibes, but the pointed and heartfelt execution of these themes works surprisingly well. Despite its high-concept sci-fi storyline,The Mitchells vs. the Machinesis primarily a deep dive into painfully identifiable love-hate family dynamics. It has plenty of relatable laughs, but also tugs at the audience’s heartstrings. With vibrant visuals, this movie is a feast for the eyes. It has a unique animation style that combines the liveliness of computer animation withthe expressiveness of traditional 2D animation. Rianda and Rowe take a meta approach that blends Katie’s in-universe filmmaking with the film itself.
But it’s not just pretty to look at; it’s a deeply engaging narrative. Rianda and Rowe’s sharp script tells its story at a rapid pace while still taking plenty of time to round out the characters and their interpersonal conflicts. The protagonists always have clearly defined goals and the villains are always one step ahead of them. It’s framed asa sprawling sci-fi epicabout a robot army taking over the world, but it’s told through the intimate story of a family trying to get along – specifically exploring the relationship of a father and daughter who struggle to connect.The Mitchells vs. the Machinesoffers the perfect balance of laugh-out-loud comedy and tear-jerking drama that recalls the beautiful tonal balancing act ofPixar’s timeless early classics.
A Heartfelt Family Drama Wrapped In A Dystopian Sci-Fi Epic
All the nominees for this year’s Best Animated Feature award are great movies, butThe Mitchells vs. the Machinesdeserves to take home the gold more than any of the others. It’s a heartfelt family drama wrapped in a dystopian sci-fi epic, exploringthe infinite possibilities of the animated mediumwith unbridled energy and infectious sincerity. There are a ton of big laughs in this movie, but it would also take a pretty cold-hearted viewer not to be moved to tears by some of the story’s emotional developments.
The movie has plenty to say about the joys and frustrations of family life – summed up perfectly in Katie’s climactic monologue (“Sometimes, you have to eat disgusting cupcakes shaped like your own face, but it’s worth it to see your mom smile”) – but its pulpy, action-packed, robot-killing antics prevent it from ever getting bogged down in melodrama. Likeall the best animated movies,The Mitchells vs. the Machinesis wildly entertaining, surprisingly profound, and fun for the whole family.
