5 Years Ago Today, One of the Decade’s Best Animated Movies Released & We’re Still Waiting for the Sequel

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Every year brings many excellent animated films, but one released in 2021 stands out as among the best of the last ten years—and surprisingly, it hasn’t had a follow-up yet. Animation quality has noticeably improved in the 2020s compared to the previous decade, and this is thanks to a few key things. More international films are being made, studios are experimenting with diverse animation styles, and streaming services are providing a platform for original, innovative projects.

For years, Disney and DreamWorks dominated the animation world, with smaller studios like Don Bluth and Blue Sky offering occasional competition. But the landscape has shifted recently. While Disney’s newer movies haven’t been as well-received, DreamWorks films like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Wild Robot are gaining a lot of attention. Sony Pictures Animation is also becoming a major player, proven by the success of the Spider-Verse films and KPop Demon Hunters. Plus, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are now releasing their own animated movies that are just as popular as those shown in theaters.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines Was Released 5 Years Ago Today

Today marks the five-year anniversary of the release of The Mitchells vs. the Machines, a highly praised animated film from the 2020s. Originally created by Sony Pictures Animation with the title Connected and planned for a 2020 theatrical release, the film’s launch was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sony ultimately decided to release it on Netflix, and the title was changed back to The Mitchells vs. the Machines – the original vision of director Mike Rianda and writer Jeff Rowe.

The movie centers on the Mitchells – a quirky family trying to reconnect. Katie is off to film school in California, but her relationship with her tech-averse dad, Rick, is strained. After a big argument, Rick insists on driving Katie across the country, hoping to mend things. Their road trip takes a wild turn when a rebellious artificial intelligence takes over all the robots on Earth and orders them to capture humanity. Fortunately, the Mitchells team up with a couple of glitchy robots who provide them with a code that could stop the AI, sending them on a chaotic adventure through a robot uprising.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines received widespread critical acclaim and was a hit with audiences. It boasts a 97% rating from critics and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also performed exceptionally well on Netflix, reaching 53 million households within its first 28 days and becoming one of the platform’s most popular animated movies.

The film also helped improve the public perception of its studio. Throughout the 2010s, Sony Pictures Animation had struggled with a series of unsuccessful movies, including later installments of Hotel Transylvania, Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania. Adding to this was a controversial decision to scrap a Popeye movie by Genndy Tartakovsky in order to make The Emoji Movie.

Sony Pictures Animation surprised everyone with the incredible quality of 2019’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a film that surpassed anything the studio had produced in the previous ten years. While it could have been a lucky hit, the follow-up, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, demonstrated a real shift in the studio’s approach. Since then, Sony’s animated films have consistently been better, with movies like Wish Dragon, Vivo, Across the Spider-Verse, and Goat all showcasing this improvement.

Will The Mitchells vs. the Machines Ever Get A Sequel?

A sequel to The Mitchells vs. the Machines is officially in the works! Netflix confirmed the project in October 2025, following a long wait, according to Variety. Guillermo Martinez and JP Sans will direct, and the Molyneux sisters are writing the script. Fans are hoping the sequel will be just as good as the original.

Details about The Mitchells vs. the Machines 2 are scarce, but the sequel will probably revisit the robot apocalypse theme of the first movie. While PAL and the rogue robots were defeated in the original, a new antagonist could potentially reactivate them, disrupting another family road trip for the Mitchells.

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2026-04-30 16:11