The Art of The Mitchells vs. The Machines

FAMILY MATTERS Never has the end of the human race at the hands of evil robots looked so good, as this concept art book demonstrates

Character concepts are printed at a large-enough size to spot any variations

The Mitchells vs. The Machines tells the tale of one family’s struggle against a deadly robot apocalypse. Ramin Zahed, a veteran film journalist, charts the film’s visual development in this art-of book.

As the film’s title suggests, the art style is one of contrasts. Director Mike Rianda was keen to make every aspect of the Mitchell’s lives as ordinary as possible. Lengthy chapters on the designs of the four family members (five if you count their dimbut-lovable pug), their home and station wagon show how this directive was carried out. Black and white sketches, clothing concepts, facial expressions and more all show the lengths the artists were willing to go to hit the middle-of-the-road sweet spot. Against the mundane human world, the pristine lines and neons of the robot universe stand out even more. From the evil AI’S angular HQ to the shape language of the robot army, there are plenty of creative insights and quotes from the artistic team that shed light on their approach.

Unusually for an art-of publication, no captions accompany the imagery (although all artists are properly credited, thankfully). While this might normally count against the book, Ramin’s text enables the reader to follow the accomplished concept art without any trouble.

Furthermore, the absence of captions has freed up space on the page, enabling the book’s designer to present the art at larger-than-normal size. Often a single keyframe takes up a whole page, while character concepts are printed at a largeenough size to spot any variations.

One notable example: the design of daughter Katie’s younger brother Aaron shows how his mouth shape needed to be simplified. Specifically, removing the slight creasing in the corners of his mouth. Those readers keen to hone their concept art skills will appreciate clearly seeing such details on the page, which highlight the difference between good and great character design.

Overall, Ramin’s book shows how strong art direction can help make an animated project stand out from the crowded field.

RATING ★★★★★

Ryan Carlson’s concept art captures the awkwardness between Katie and her father Rick. Younger brother Aaron’s love of dinosaurs is apparent in Alice Lemma’s painting.

The hand-drawn look of Lindsey Olivares’ early production art was emulated in the finished film.

Aaron witnesses the start of the robot takeover, in Peter Chan’s artwork.