An ordinary family embarks on an extraordinary mission: saving the world from a robotic apocalypse . The protagonists of “ The Mitchells vs. the Machines ” find themselves faced with no easy task . This CGI-animated action/family/sci-fi comedy is directed by Mike Rianda, co-directed by Jeff Rowe, and produced by “The Lego Movie” creators Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Kurt Albrecht.

The story begins when quirky, creative Katie Mitchell gets accepted into the film school of her dreams and can't wait to leave home and meet "her people." Her father, Rick, a passionate nature lover, insists that the whole family accompany her to school on one last road trip. Just when things can't get any worse, the Mitchell family finds themselves in the midst of a robot uprising . Every technological device, from smartphones to Roomba vacuums to the evil Furby, is being harnessed for the purpose of capturing every human on the planet. Leading the rebellion is Pal, a smart operating system and personal assistant (voiced by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman), who refuses to be considered obsolete.

The film, available on the Netflix streaming platform , combines two animation styles: one typical of hand-colored illustrations and the other featuring the realism of computer graphics, typical of many modern films. Indeed, there are many 2D elements, referencing Katie's storyboards, and scenes in which her cinematic talent pays homage to great action classics—think Ghostbusters, Terminator, Mad Max, and The Goonies—all under the banner of a fast-paced and incisive narrative.

Index

Generational gap

Rianda drew inspiration for the plot from a day out with his grandchildren and began to think that perhaps technology could be a lens through which to observe generational differences.

The generation gap , or conflict between different generations, is a social phenomenon that has always accompanied humanity in various types of societies, from patriarchal to modern. One of the factors responsible for this gap is the problem of communication.

This problem is reflected in the usual difficulty of intergenerational understanding, due to the adoption of diverse and opposing languages ​​by members of different generations, each with specific codes and scripts that often hinder access, both in terms of listening and understanding, to those who do not belong to the generation that spoke that particular language. A current example is the extreme ease with which younger generations can use technological language, while older generations have serious difficulty approaching this new type of code. Given that communication underpins every aspect of life, the resulting problems create significant difficulties in the daily interactions between generations and cause a widening of the generational gap.

The generation gap is especially evident when parents live together in the same family, resulting in constant arguments, misunderstandings, and estrangements. However, this generation gap can be narrowed by working on a fundamental aspect of family communication: dialogue.

The communication problems that arise in this context could be alleviated by adopting behavioral patterns that encourage both parties involved to engage in constructive dialogue.

The cartoon that makes you think

Every historical moment has been marked by a communication gap between different generations, a veritable gap in understanding that has led to progress and innovation, but has also caused fractures and distances. And this is precisely where the animated film "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" begins.

Katie Mitchell chooses the college furthest away from her family, not only to realize her dream of becoming a filmmaker but, above all, to distance herself from her distracted and conservative father, who doesn't seem to perceive his daughter's need to express herself through technology.

Rick Mitchell, in fact, is an old-fashioned man, who loves nature, who prefers to carry a screwdriver with him, and who has no desire to hide behind a cell phone screen. A generation completely closed to innovation, which sees technology only as a deprivation for the new generations, allowing them to look the world straight in the eye and, at the same time, learn to communicate and build relationships without the use of chat rooms and devices. For Rick, the world of the Internet is a sort of pixelated prison that precludes any personality and suppresses the intellectual capacity of the youngest. 

Understanding technology will be crucial when the computer operating system Pal decides to rebel against its creator and destroy humanity.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a computer technology that revolutionizes the way humans interact with machines and machines with each other. It enables machines to perform complex actions and reasoning, learn from mistakes, and perform functions that until recently were the prerogative of human intelligence.

artificial intelligence cartoon

In science fiction , artificial intelligence is a recurring theme, either as a simple narrative element or as a central theme of the story. It is generally presented in the form of advanced computers, robots, or androids. The animated film's theme is linked to the classic theme of machine rebellion, in which a sentient computer rebels against the humans who built it.

Sentient robots or androids are also a classic . Hypothesizing that machines could become increasingly human-like, authors such as Isaac Asimov and Stanley Kubrick have envisioned machines with enormous computing power and personalities.

Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics

The three laws of robotics were published by Isaac Asimov , the great science fiction writer, in 1942 in the story “Runaround”, which appeared in a scientific magazine and then published in the anthology “I, Robot” in 1950. Three simple rules, inserted into the positronic brain of cybernetic creatures, which regulate all their actions.

Asimov robot cartoon
  1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

Virtually all of Asimov's writings are based on these three assumptions. These principles have been repeated many times in scientific circles, even reaching the cinematic stage with "Bicentennial Man."

The three laws were later extended with a fourth, the “Zero Law,” so called to maintain the fact that a law with a lower number superseded one with a higher number.

The fourth law is enunciated by Asimov's character, Robot Daneel Olivaw, in the novel “Robots and the Empire”.

  • A robot may not injure humanity, nor, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

So the other three laws are amended accordingly.

  1. A robot may not harm a human being, nor, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. This does not violate the Zeroth Law.
  2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the Zeroth Law and the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such self-protection does not conflict with the Zeroth Law, the First Law, or the Second Law.

Currently, these laws of robotics have no effect or application in the human world. The robots present in today's society are far removed from those imagined by Asimov and those depicted in science fiction books and films, which have a thinking reality of their own. In fact, in the animated film "The Mitchells vs. the Machines," not only do the robots rebel against their creator, they actually seek to destroy humanity, overturning all of Isaac Asimov's laws.

At this point, Rianda's question is more relevant than ever: "In a world where technology can do the same things as men and women, what does it mean to be human?" This question informed the film's concept: "a delightfully imperfect family" versus the "algorithmic and technological perfection" of machines.

Mermaid Frattasio

Bibliographic and web references

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