The Mitchells vs. The Machines Director Reveals the Film Has a Secret Robot Language
103Let me be very clear: Michael Rianda’s first animated feature film, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, is fantastic, laugh out loud funny, and one of the best things I’ve seen this year. The movie is about a dysfunctional family that takes a cross-country road trip to take their daughter to college, only to be interrupted by an apocalyptic machine uprising.
One of the reasons this movie works so well is the screenplay Rianda co-wrote with Jeff Rowe. They’ve perfectly captured what so many families are going through in terms of how technology has changed the way we connect with our friends and family. They nail the way some people get lost in their phones and how they forget to experience what is happening in front of their eyes. In addition, while I could go on and on about the script and dialogue, I need to take a moment to praise the brilliant animation by Sony Pictures Animation. As you watch the film, you’ll want to hit pause about a million times to see all the little things placed in the frame. They're the same folks that helped bring Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to life. The film features the voices of Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Beck Bennett, Fred Armisen, Conan O'Brien, Chrissy Teigen, and John Legend.
During the quick but fun interview, Rianda talked about where the idea came from, how he wanted to make something personal and unique, the reaction of the animators when he told them what he wanted to do, and how the film has a secret robot language that can be decoded.
Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines was produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and is now streaming on Netflix.
Michael Rianda:
• Where did the idea come from?
• Making a personal and unique film at a studio.
• How did the animators react when he told them what he was trying to do in the movie?
• A lot of the animators worked on Spider-Verse.
• Easter eggs?
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