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Movies that feel like The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

If you loved The Mitchells vs. the Machines, the closest films we have are Checkered Ninja (2018), Isle of Dogs (2018) and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020). All three share The Mitchells vs. the Machines' whimsical and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.

πŸ… 97% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Mike Riandawhimsicalepicwittyplayful
Stream it:Netflix β†—
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When is The Mitchells vs. the Machines streaming? β†’

If The Mitchells vs. the Machines hit the spot, these will too

Checkered Ninja poster
Checkered Ninja
2018 Β· dir. ThorbjΓΈrn Christoffersen
β˜… 7.1animation Β· comedy Β· adventure

Whimsical where it counts, epic underneath

The difference: Leans further into fantasy

A possessed Ninja doll teams up with a teenage boy to avenge the murder of a poor child factory worker.

Feels alike?
Isle of Dogs poster
Isle of Dogs
2018 Β· dir. Wes Anderson
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.8adventure Β· comedy Β· animation

Both land wit and play at once

In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island used as a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.

Feels alike?
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run poster
πŸ… 66%β˜… 5.9adventure Β· animation Β· comedy

Both lean on whimsy more than on animation

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

When his best friend Gary is suddenly snatched away, SpongeBob takes Patrick on a madcap mission far beyond Bikini Bottom to save their pink-shelled pal.

Feels alike?
Secret Magic Control Agency poster
Secret Magic Control Agency
2021 Β· dir. Alexey Tsitsilin
β˜… 6.2animation Β· comedy Β· fantasy

Witty comedy in both cases

The difference: Without the same scale

The Secret Magic Control Agency sends its two best agents, Hansel and Gretel, to fight against the witch of the Gingerbread House.

Feels alike?
The Secret Life of Pets 2 poster
The Secret Life of Pets 2
2019 Β· dir. Chris Renaud
πŸ… 60%β˜… 6.4animation Β· comedy Β· family

Adventure built on scale, twice over

The difference: Played as family first

Max the terrier must cope with some major life changes when his owner gets married and has a baby. When the family takes a trip to the countryside, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff farm dog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.

Feels alike?
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania poster
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
2022 Β· dir. Derek Drymon
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6animation Β· comedy Β· family

Playful animation, and it commits to that

When Van Helsing's mysterious invention, the "Monsterfication Ray," goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster. In their new mismatched bodies, Drac and Johnny must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.

Feels alike?
Ferdinand poster
Ferdinand
2017 Β· dir. Carlos Saldanha
πŸ… 71%β˜… 6.7animation Β· family Β· adventure

Adventure with a pulse of whimsy, in both cases

Ferdinand, a little bull, prefers sitting quietly under a cork tree just smelling the flowers versus jumping around, snorting, and butting heads with other bulls. As Ferdinand grows big and strong, his temperament remains mellow. But one day five men come to choose the "biggest, fastest, roughest bull" for the bullfights in Madridβ€” and Ferdinand is mistakenly chosen.

Feels alike?
A Cat in Paris poster
A Cat in Paris
2010 Β· dir. Jean-Loup Felicioli
πŸ… 83%β˜… 6.9animation Β· comedy

Different title, same corner of the shelf

A thrilling mystery that unfurls in the alleys and on the rooftops of the French capital, Paris, over the course of one adventurous evening.

Feels alike?
Moana 2 poster
Moana 2
2024 Β· dir. David G. Derrick Jr.
πŸ… 61%β˜… 6.3adventure Β· animation Β· comedy

Epic animation, and it commits to that

After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys alongside Maui and a new crew to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced.

Feels alike?
Rio 2 poster
Rio 2
2014 Β· dir. Carlos Saldanha
πŸ… 50%β˜… 6.3animation Β· adventure Β· comedy

Adventure built on play, twice over

It's a jungle out there for Blu, Jewel and their three kids after they're hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful Nigel, and meets the most fearsome adversary of all: his father-in-law.

Feels alike?
Trolls poster
Trolls
2016 Β· dir. Mike Mitchell
πŸ… 76%β˜… 6.4adventure Β· animation Β· comedy

The comedy is handled with the same confidence

After the monstrous Bergens invade Troll Village, Princess Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and overly-cautious, curmudgeonly outcast Branch set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.

Feels alike?
Horton Hears a Who! poster
Horton Hears a Who!
2008 Β· dir. Steve Martino
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.8animation Β· comedy Β· family

Animation in the same key

An imaginative elephant named Horton hears a faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Horton suspects there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community, who thinks he has lost his mind, he is determined to save the tiny particle.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more whimsical?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ defining feeling.