The Film That Lit My Fuse: ‘Mitchells Vs. The Machines’ Phil Lord & Christopher Miller On How ‘The Muppets’ & ‘Harold And Maude’ Sparked The Versatile Duo

The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative influences and inspirations of some of today’s great screen artists.

Every installment asks the same five questions. Today’s subject is Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who’ve proven to be as versatile a pair of filmmakers as exists in Hollywood. Their work ranges from blockbusters like the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, to the Lego, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street franchises to TV that includes How I Met Your Mother, The Last Man On Earth and most recently The Afterparty.

They are right now in the Oscar hunt for Best Animated Feature Film for producing The Mitchells Vs. The Machines.

Here, they describe the formative influences that led to them moving seamlessly between so many different genres.