24700: Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe on Making 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines'

07/20/22 • 19 min

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) is the Oscar-nominated animated sci-fi comedy directed by Mike Rianda (Film/Video 10) and co-directed by Jeff Rowe (Film/Video BFA 11). The two also wrote the script, which follows Katie Mitchell and her quirky family as their road trip to drop her off at film school is unexpectedly interrupted by a robot apocalypse.

Rianda and Rowe were the guests of honor at the 2022 Character Animation Producers’ Show on May 4 at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, addressing students in the audience where they once sat a decade before.
In this episode, Rianda and Rowe talk about the highs and lows of making the movie, their time at CalArts, and how Mike's Mom won Oscar night.
Content Warning: Language
Host: Christine Ziemba
Music: Erick "Pepper" Rivera (Music MFA 12)
Featured in CalArts' The Pool, Issue 11

Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at https://calarts.edu/about-calarts/newsroom/podcast.

Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at https://calarts.edu/about-calarts/newsroom/podcast.

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24700: Chris Porter and Jenny Curtis on 'Solar' the Podcast

In late March, podcast network CurtCo Media launched Solar, a 12-episode, immersive sci-fi drama created by CalArts alums Chris Porter (Music MFA 09) and directed by Porter and Jenny Curtis (Theater BFA 12).

The audio drama follows crew members on the ill-fated solar research probe Aethon, who are disconnected from earth and trapped on separate parts of their spacecraft. As they face a literal and physical abyss, their painful memories, forgotten dreams and realities collide during their fight for survival.

Listen to the 24700 podcast interview—preceded by the Solar trailer—with Porter and Curtis about the development of Solar, which features a number of CalArtians on the mic and behind the scenes.
Host: Christine Ziemba
Music: Erick "Pepper" Rivera (Music MFA 12)
Featured in CalArts' The Pool, Issue 11

Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at https://calarts.edu/about-calarts/newsroom/podcast.

Next Episode

Beyond the Blue Wall: Andrea Bowers

As The New York Times noted in a 2021 profile, “for a quarter-century, through the ever-changing social and cultural climate, [Andrea] Bowers has forged lasting bonds with queer and trans folk, fighters for abortion rights, radical environmentalists, immigration advocates, Native activists and scholars across generations.”

In its 2022 retrospective of Bower’s work, the Hammer Museum said that she “has built an international reputation as a chronicler of contemporary history, documenting activism as it unfolds and collecting research on the front lines of protest.”

Bowers (Art MFA 92) sat down with host Henderson Blumer at her Highland Park studio for a conversation about her experience at CalArts as well as her work as an artist and activist over the past three decades.

Go deeper:

Beyond the Blue Wall’s original theme music was composed and performed by Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20). Learn more about their work at sockswhitmore.com.

Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at https://calarts.edu/about-calarts/newsroom/podcast.