Netflix Confirms Sequel for Hit Sci-Fi Road Comedy

Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation are teaming up again to bring a sequel to the hit animated film, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, according to Variety.

The original producers, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, will return, but the film’s first director and co-writer, Mike Rianda, will not be coming back.

Guillermo Martinez, who was head of story on the first film, will co-direct alongside JP Sans, known for The Bad Guys 2. Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, writers for The Great North, are attached to write the new script.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines premiered on Netflix in 2021 and quickly became a fan favorite. The film earned eight Annie Awards and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Variety notes that while the sequel has taken time to develop, it represents a major step for Netflix, creating a sci-fi animated franchise that rivals have yet to match.

The original movie tells the story of the dysfunctional Mitchell family, who must save Earth from a robot uprising.

It features the voices of Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Mike Rianda, Eric André, and Olivia Colman, with support from Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Charlyne Yi, Blake Griffin, Conan O’Brien, and Doug the Pug.

Mike Rianda first conceived the film after finishing work on the animated series Gravity Falls in 2015. Sony Pictures Animation worked on the project with Columbia Pictures, Lord Miller Productions, and One Cool Films.

To achieve the film’s unique “hand-painted watercolor” look, the team reused technology from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). The soundtrack was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, a frequent collaborator of Lord and Miller.

Originally titled Connected, the film was meant for a 2020 theatrical release by Sony Pictures Releasing, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to Netflix acquiring the distribution rights outside of China. Netflix returned the film to Rianda and Rowe’s original title and released it in theaters in the U.S. on April 23, 2021, before making it available for streaming a week later.

The film received praise for its animation, humor, themes, voice acting, action sequences, visual effects, and LGBT representation.

It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 33rd Producers Guild of America Awards, the 75th BAFTA Awards, and the 94th Academy Awards, while winning the category at the 27th Critics Choice Awards. At the 49th Annie Awards, it swept all its nominated categories, including Best Animated Feature, making it only the second Sony Pictures Animation film to do so after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

With a sequel now in development, fans can expect more robot-fighting adventures from the Mitchell family.

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