With the health crisis, some studios have been forced to resell their films to streaming platforms. If we clearly understand the process, we know how Netflix can easily sell a promising work in a lion’s den without trying too hard to highlight it. Suddenly, frankly, it would be criminal to miss Mitchell fighting the machine, Sony’s latest animated film, which inherits directly from the greatness of Spider-Man: The New Generation.

ROBOTOP
From the friendly Storm of Giant Dumplings to The Great LEGO Adventure and its unexpected brilliance, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s cinema stands out as a refreshing geek blast. It carries within it a true love of creativity, expressed by touching characters and animations designed as a democratic portal to the most unlikely of crossovers. Since then, the duo have established themselves as key producers of the animation revival, with pop-art masterpiece Spider-Man: The New Generation as their banner.

Now that Sony has freed itself from the annoying yoke of ultra-realism and normalized animation, we can only be pleased to see the studio expand its approach with its Les Mitchell contre les engine (formerly known as Disconnected). It’s even a sacred step forward in breaking free from the shackles of intellectual property determined to linger in a surprisingly pregnant and shallow story about a dysfunctional family.

For his first feature film, director Michael Rianda (famous for his work on Memories of Gravity Falls) not only had the good idea of ​​basing himself on his own experiences as a child and father, but above all accurately sketched out an unconditional love that was threatened. by the ignorance of others. The oddball character design, sublimated by cel-shading (celluloid shadow in French) of the most beautiful effect, is in this case just the first genius stroke of a “larger-than-life” work, yet deeply human.

As she prepares to head off to film school, young Katie (Abi Jacobson in VO) finds herself embarking on an unwanted family journey, at least until a machine uprising forces the gang to band together to save the world. From this deliberately oversimplified and childish tone, the feature film nevertheless weaves an aesthetic surprise that couldn’t be more logical.

Thanks to its heroines, and her passion for making Internet-demanding films, Mitchell’s Against the Machines earnestly showcases mashup culture, and adapts the language of memes and YouTube for refreshing comedic grammar. From its chaotic introduction, image superimposition effects, 2D element inlays, and freeze frames are here to force a gaguesque unstoppable tempo.

THE VALLEY OF SILLICON DE LA MORT
Truth be told, the footage manages with a certain knack for playing pauses in its tune, particularly through the brutal connection, which climaxes during a video that’s absolutely flawless presenting the robot’s plans. From this record of formal intent, the film gets carried away, and begins a frantic race to ultimate absurdity, embellishing every minute a new impossible idea.

Since then, this dead violence has easily allowed the feature film to go beyond its mandatory parts. While the film’s mascot, the dog Mochi, is implemented much better than usual, Michael Rianda and his team create permanent verbal and situational ping-pong with all their cards in hand, whether it’s the two faulty robots (companions in storytelling), or an evil artificial intelligence that sticks to the phone, and is voiced brilliantly by Olivia Colman.

This void, explosive insanity couldn’t do better justice to his family’s uniqueness, between a somewhat retarded father, a mother who clumsily expresses her love, and a shy son who is obsessed with dinosaurs. Behind its a priori caricature dimensions, the film is far more dangerous and manages to dig every time into its characters, to reflect their doubts and the memories that seem to escape them. As well as being an extraordinary tale of kinship and adolescence, Les Mitchell’s contre les machine taps into unexpected melancholy, particularly that contained within a simple wooden sculpture, which carries devastating revelations within.

And perhaps therein lies the true success of Sony Animation’s new production. While we’re willing to let our guard down in front of his hilarious energy, Michael Rianda’s film takes the opportunity to throw a punch at our jaws, which barely gives us time to understand why our eyes are wet.

If the previous studio struggled to win the competition, it seemsknya has found her own identity by combining the best of both worlds: Dreamworks’ delusional humor (but far more balanced) and the melodramatic genius of Pixars’ greatest. It’s so simple, beyond imposing Sony in the big leagues, The Mitchell against the machine asserts itself above all else as a beautiful declaration of love for the insane and varied seventh art, epitomized by a touching heroine.