Netflix Acquires Lord and Miller’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines

The latest movie from producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller is making its way to Netflix, as the theatrical landscape in the United States remains uncertain. The Mitchells vs. The Machines, formerly known as Connected, was supposed to be released by Sony last year, but was eventually removed from the schedule. With the potential for some 2021 films to move once again, Sony made the decision to sell The Mitchells vs. The Machines to Netflix, which will act as the global distributor for the film.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines will now be released as a Netflix original, with the streaming service confirming it will debut at some point in 2021. A firm release date has yet to be announced. The film is written and directed by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe. Lord and Miller, who brought Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to life at Sony, produced the new film.

While many people came to know this new movie as Connected, The Mitchells vs. The Machines was actually its original title. It came to be called Connected while in production at Sony, but Lord explained that the team was now allowed to retain the first title.

“We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm Netflix has expressed for this movie with this acquisition and grateful to everyone at Sony for making a great picture with us and finding a big way to bring it to audiences” said Lord and Miller. “We’re really proud of the film we all made together, plus we understand our subscription fees are waived in perpetuity as part of the deal? We’re not lawyers but it does sound right to us.”

“This is a very personal movie about my very weird family. I’m so grateful to all the incredible artists that poured their love and passion into this project to make it a reality, and to everyone at Sony who believed in us and were on board to make a different kind of animated movie.” said Rianda. “I’m so thrilled that everyone at Netflix has been totally in sync with us creatively and are just as excited about the movie as we are! Not only because it’s an original story with a creative visual style that we’re extremely proud of, but also so I can prove to my friends that this five-year journey wasn’t an elaborate delusion on my part.”

Are you looking forward to checking out The Mitchells vs The Machines on Netflix this year? Let us know in the comments!