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The Art Of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines Book Review

“The Art Of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines” is a must own for fans.

Abrams “The Art Of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines” kicks off with a touching foreword by Debbie Rianda (mother of the film’s director Michael Rianda) before moving into the main content written by Ramin Zahed which covers the story of how the film came together, pieces about the personal nature of the very human story, spotlights on the creative talent, character breakdowns, and more. Of course, readers can expect hundreds of images of concept art, background art, character sketches, storyboards, and alternate art pieces as well. The book concludes with acknowledgements. 

Given that Sony’s “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines” is already one of the year’s best films (check it out on Netflix if you haven’t seen it yet), I was looking forward to diving into this art book. It did not disappoint. For anyone that treasures this very original movie, this book has so much to pour over. Want to see Linda’s sweater details? You can scope them out. Want to check out different Pal Lab building designs? You can! Wondering about the inspirations for the robot look? You’ll find that here. In fact, the book primarily traces through the entire story and its set pieces through images and written tidbits. For the most part, the book is similar to other Art Of books (like the Star Wars ones), but there are a few noticeable differences. As I mentioned above, several creatives involved with the project get their own pages which was nice to see. Not only does it serve as a great tribute to the artists that made this movie a reality, but it also shines a light on their roles in making the movie too. Another aspect that caught my eye was the showcases of little details in everything from locations like the Dino Stop to the character’s bedrooms. I loved seeing every little detail up-close-and-personal on the page. 

If I had one complaint about this book I would say it would have been nice to see more information about the images on display. Yes, we see the artists credited, but I would have liked to have known more about the image’s background and or what form of art it was in the overall production process (ala concept art or what not).

Overall Thoughts: “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines” is a wonderful movie that gets an equally wonderful tie-in book that gives readers and fans an inside look at the dazzling animation work.

May 28, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Art Book, The Art Of The Mitchells Vs. The Machines Book Review