Chris Meledandri‘s Illumination animation house has had a boatload of hits from Despicable Me and Minions to 2023’s global smash The Super Mario Bros Movie. But in between, this underrated (in terms of awards) producer of delightful and genuinely funny toons creates new franchises by embracing originals such as The Secret Life of Pets and Sing, winners both in my book. Now, just in time for the holidays, comes Migration, about a family of ducks on the adventure of a lifetime. It is the kind of animated entertainment that all ages will find something to like, and in terms of the creative talent involved, it is a breath of fresh air in the genre.
Migration has a screenplay by none other than The White Lotus Emmy winner Mike White, who also gets credit for developing the original story with French animation director Benjamin Renner. The latter did the wonderful 2D animated film Ernest and Celestine in 2012, and he has been brought into the Illumination fold to lead his first studio and 3D animation effort, and it does not disappoint, especially if you love ducks.
The Mallard family has a nice, dependable life in the pond, and dad Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) does not want to rock the boat or leave what he already knows. Wife Pam (Elizabeth Banks), on the other hand, is yearning for a vacation and urges him to loosen up so they can take the kids, Dax (Caspar Jennings) and duckling Gwen (Tresi Gazal), on an adventure to Jamaica. After a heart-to-heart with grouchy Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito), who believes firmly in the status quo, Mack realizes he has been missing what life is all about. Fearing that he will turn into his uncle, he agrees to take the clan and fly off on a trip of a lifetime.
Along the way, things don’t go so well.
First they run into a rather frightening Erin the Heron (Carol Kane) in a sequence that looks right out of a horror movie. But appearances are deceiving, and Erin becomes a wise friend rather than a foe. Later they encounter a gang of NYC pigeons ready to rumble with archenemy ducks, but it turns out that the leader of the group is Chump (Awkwafina), who instead of a Jets-vs.-Sharks-type confrontation is quite helpful to the Mallards. So is Jamaican parrot Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key), who is eager to escape the confines of the cage he is stuck in at a local restaurant. He offers to guide them all to Jamaica, and away from the prospect of the evil chef (Boris Rehlinger) who would like to turn them into duck à l’orange.
There are more unexpected stops along the way including a weird duck farm and its yogic leader Goo Goo (David Mitchell), where things get a bit dicey and slicey.
All of this is punctuated with White’s signature deadpan humor and smart, funny dialogue, with each character given distinct individual traits, some good, some not-so. The voice work is exceptional all around, and the animation spotlighting several different picaresque locales is a step above the norm for this type of studio toon. Renner’s background in traditional drawing comes in handy to deliver a more visually appealing look. John Powell’s score augments the action nicely, and this fun flick just flies by in a very entertaining hour and a half.
Migration is mainly in it for the laughs, but it has much to say about family and stepping out of your comfort zone to find out exactly what you may be missing before it all passes you by.
Meledandri produces and serves up another winner.
Title: Migration
Distributor: Universal
Release date: December 25, 2023
Director: Benjamin Renner
Screenwriter: Mike White (Story by White and Renner
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina, Danny De Vito, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal, Carol Kane, David Mitchell, Isabela Merced, Boris Rehlinger
Rating: PG
Running time: 1 hr 31 mins