I was working at Walt Disney World when they were phasing out hand-drawn animation. The word started out as a rumor when The Little Mermaid was released and graduated to a poorly kept secret when The Lion King hit. Around that time Toy Story came out and ushered in an entirely new look for animated films. The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is a movie that is as big of a leap forward in animation as that one. It’s original, timely, has a story that will appeal to anyone, and a look that will dazzle the senses. The Art of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is an oversized book that breaks down the inspiration, production, and artwork for the key elements from the film.
Our nine-year-old has seen the film a couple of times. He has his favorite scenes and usually laughs the hardest when Aaron is talking about dinosaurs or when the Mitchells have the battle scene at the mall. When he saw the book he ooh’d and aaah’d while he looked through the large landscape pages that illustrate moments and characters from the movie.
He quickly noticed that many of the images in the book didn’t look exactly the way that they did in the film. This led to a conversation about rough drafts, character development, trial and error, contrasting colors, and Furbys. The text in the book was too challenging for him to read and understand all of it, but The Art of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines isn’t intended for kids under 12. While those ages will certainly enjoy looking at one of the hundreds of pictures in the book, it’s better suited for fans of animation, aspiring illustrators, film geeks, graphic design people, cartoon buffs, or for folks who really, truly loved the film and want to dig behind the curtain of it.
The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is a very easy film to love. It’s not in 3D per se, but the scenes have depth as you’ve never seen before in a 2D movie. The film is from Sony Pictures Animation and has a template that will draw parallels to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Mitchells takes the hand-drawn elements that made Spider-Verse pop and takes it to another level. Part of that is accomplished due to the original plot and its very relatable characters.
Katie is the film’s main character. She’s about to go off to college and can’t get there soon enough. Her dad just doesn’t understand her or appreciate the creativity that she puts into her short films. Linda is the mom who tries to keep the peace and Rick is the outdoorsy dad who means well, but often doesn’t appreciate the quirks of his family.
As a film, viewers will immediately notice how real the characters are. They’re flawed, look at their technology far too often, rope others into their own hobbies-while at the same time not allowing them to pursue theirs with the same passion. The Art of The Mitchell’s Vs. The Machines gives readers insight into how each of the characters was developed. The major reason that the characters in the film seem so real is that they’re closely modeled very closely to the director, Mike Rianda’s real-life family.
Down to the old-school, 70’s jacket that Rick wears, intricate personality quirks, and background advertisements as the family is driving down the highway. The details feel like you’d see them as you drive, watch your family do, or things that are this close to reality.
Have you ever seen an anime film? The beauty and mystery that the background evokes is similar to some of the landscape shots in Mitchells. Those shots are lovingly displayed in the book, especially when the family is dropping Katie off at college.
The Art of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is a wonderful piece of animation history. You’ll read about how unique the film is from its conception, the personal story, and the involvement of various creatives that started in 2015. For some it’ll demonstrate the time that it takes to create something of superior quality, that’s wholly original, while others might just marvel at the minute details that they missed in the film.
The Art of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is by Ramin Zahed with a forward by Debbie Rianda and on Abrams Books.
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