Since the studio’s founding in 2007, Illumination has become a powerhouse in the world of animated films. From their first film, the smash hit Despicable Me, to Minions, to this year’s Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination has proved time and time again that they can put out quality animated films that are fun for the whole family. Not content with just one film release in 2023, Illumination’s latest film, Migration, is set to release December 22, 2023.
Following a perpetually nervous and overprotective duck named Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) and the rest of his family on their first migration from their safe New England pond all the way to Jamaica, Migration explores what it means to keep your family safe while still indulging in a little adventure every now and then.
Trailer
Trust the Ones You Love
The core message driving Migration‘s story is an exploration of what it takes to admit that you might not always know best and put your trust in other people in an effort to venture outside of your comfort zone. Mack is nervous enough that not only have he and his family never left their pond, but he can barely hold it together when his children leave his sight to introduce themselves to a flock of ducks just passing through on their own migration.
Throughout the film Mack learns to put his trust in his more daring wife, Pam (Elizabeth Banks) and their two kids, in an effort to balance letting their kids see the world while still keeping them safe.
Migration also has a great message for any kids watching, showcased by Mack’s relationship with his son, Dax, voiced by Caspar Jennings (Sing, Sing 2). There are several moments in Migration where Mack and Dax butt heads because Dax wants to help solve a problem, but Mack refuses because it is too dangerous, and I feel that in most situations like this in a typical kids’ animation film, we’d see the child do what they want anyway, eventually safely solve the problem and becoming the “hero,” so to speak.
Instead, Migration flipped that expectation on its head and showed Dax that, despite his father’s overly nervous nature, there are legitimate reasons that Mack is worried for his safety, and when Dax does stop and listen to his dad, things turn out for the best, and can actually leave him in a better position to help later down the road.
Breaking Off the Flock
In fact, one of the things I enjoyed most about following Mack and his family on their migration adventure was the film’s ability to subvert expectations set by years of previous animated films. I often found myself recognizing the early signs of a well-tread trope only to have my assumptions be proven wrong time and time again in ways that continued to delight me. Migration‘s screenwriter Mike White (School of Rock, The White Lotus) is particularly adept at using this subversion of expectations not only to enhance the emotional beats of the story, but also to slip in a clever blink-and-you’ll-miss-it joke or two.
As a whole, Migration was lighter on the humor than I was expecting, though this was greatly to the film’s benefit.
The humor itself was very tastefully done – there are no low-hanging-fruit jokes involving farts or any other bathroom humor that you’d typically see in a movie meant for children, and there are no “cleverly hidden” innuendos meant for adults to pick up on while supposedly flying over their kid’s heads.
Only one or two jokes in the entire script came close to overstaying their welcome, instead coming right up to the line of being overdone without crossing it. Overall, the film’s humor is refreshing and, more importantly, is mercifully devoid of duck puns.
Pacing and Plot
Although I was entirely onboard with a lot of the plot’s emotional beats and entertained by the refreshing sense of humor, the pacing of the film left just a little to be desired, as it seemed that the film struggled to move from beat to beat smoothly.
A very solid first act was followed by a slightly overlong second act, and although the second act’s resolution started to bring things back on track for me, the transition from the second act into the third felt somewhat abrupt without a great throughline.
The film wraps up with a third act that’s about as solid as the first, filled with great visuals that both support the emotional beats of the plot and offer some good gags, though there was one particular thread I wish had been resolved differently.
Migration isn’t exactly a visual masterpiece, but the film does look good all around. It’s most stunning in the beginning, with gorgeous shots of New England wilderness culminating in a particularly breathtaking shot of fall foliage in the light of the rising sun early on in the film.
Cast and Composer
The cast of Migration all delivered on their roles in great form, standouts for me were Awkwafina‘s Chump, a curmudgeonly pigeon that Mack’s family meets in New York’s Central Park, and Tresi Gazal‘s feature-film debut performance as Mack’s young daughter, Gwen. My favorite performance of the entire film though? Danny DeVito as Mack’s Uncle Dan. It would have been easy to reduce Uncle Dan to the gross slob of a duck that he’s made out to be in his introductory scene, but Danny DeVito’s performance elevated Uncle Dan into a down on his luck duck, rather than a slob, and showed Uncle Dan cares for his family, especially his niece, Gwen.
The score, composed by John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon, The Bourne Identity) was also a high point of the film for me, particularly the sense of simultaneous wonder and hesitation during the scene where Mack and his family arrive in New York City. Though this is just one moment among plenty of others that were well-punctuated by the music without being overshadowed by the score in any way.
Migration has a lot of heart, and is full of clever writing and a great sense of humor, and despite a few pacing issues, I was very entertained and I sincerely enjoyed my time with this film. More than anything, I’m excited to head into the holidays over the next few weeks and encourage my family members with kids to go see this movie.
With fun performances, a good message and a great sense of humor, Migration is the perfect family film to take your kids to this holiday season.
Score: 8 out of 10
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About the Film:
Genre: Animated Action-Comedy
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell, Carol Kane, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal and Danny DeVito
Screenplay by: Mike White
Directed by: Benjamin Renner
Producers: Chris Meledandri
This holiday season, Illumination, creators of the blockbuster Minions, Despicable Me, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets comedies, invites you to take flight into the thrill of the unknown with a funny, feathered family vacation like no other in the action-packed new original comedy, Migration.
The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids–teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen–the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.
As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other–and themselves–than they ever imagined.
Cast and Crew
From a screenplay by Mike White, the Emmy winning creator of The White Lotus and the screenwriter of School of Rock, the film stars a top-flight comedic cast led by Oscar® and Emmy nominee Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Eternals) as anxious Mallard dad Mack and Emmy nominee Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect franchises) as Pam, the Mallards’ daring, quick-witted matriarch.
Caspar Jennings plays Dax, the Mallards’ confident and restless son, and, in her feature film debut, Tresi Gazal plays Gwen, the family’s innocent and lovable daughter.
Golden Globe winner Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) voices the scrappy leader of a New York City pigeon gang; Emmy winner and Oscar® nominee Carol Kane (The Princess Bride) plays Erin the heron, the first friend that the Mallards make on their journey; Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key (The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Lion King) voices a homesick Jamaican parrot locked away in a Manhattan restaurant, and BAFTA winner David Mitchell (Peep Show) plays the yogic leader of a mysterious duck farm. Legendary Emmy winner and Oscar® nominee Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) co-stars as Mack’s curmudgeonly, adventure-averse Uncle Dan.
Directors and Producers
Directed by Benjamin Renner, the Oscar®-nominated filmmaker of Ernest & Celestine and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, Migration is a visual spectacle unlike any in Illumination’s acclaimed history, featuring elevated, expressionist artistry and Illumination’s signature subversive humor and authentic heart, unforgettable characters and joyful soundtrack.
Produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, Migration is a film about overcoming your fears and opening yourself up to the world and its opportunities. The film is co-directed by Guylo Homsy (Head of Layout and Cinematography for Sing and Sing 2), edited by Christian Gazal (Happy Feet, Peter Rabbit) and the Production Designer is Colin Stimpson (The Secret Life of Pets 2).
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