Posted in: Illumination, Kaitlyn Booth, Movies, Universal | Tagged: illumination, Migration

Migration Review: Illumination Ends The Year On A High Note [For Them]

Migration is one of the better films that Illumination has put out in a long time, which is why it's a shame that it isn't getting the kind of hype it deserves.

Published Sun, 24 Dec 2023 07:17:10 -0600

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

'Migration' shines as one of Illumination's stronger films with a unique, fun premise.
A standard family road trip narrative charmingly reimagined with a duck family.
Intrusive chef antagonist subplot mars the film's pacing and overall enjoyment.
Impressive voice acting and animation deserve hype, but 'Migration' may get overlooked.

Migration doesn't hold a candle to most of Pixar's library or even the top half of Dreamworks, but in terms of Illumination films, it is by far one of their stronger entries that leans into its premise and has fun with it.

Director: Benjamin Renner and Guylo Homsy (co-director)
Summary: A family of ducks try to convince their overprotective father to go on the vacation of a lifetime.

Migration Review: Illumination Ends The Year On A High Note [For Them] — © 2023 Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

There are a lot of film concepts that make you think, "How has no one thought of that before?" That is likely what many people will say when they realize that the elevator pitch for Migration is essentially "a family road trip film but with ducks." It's a cute premise covering many of the tropes we see in films like this. We have the overprotective dad who would very much like to stay home because it is safer there. We have a mom who yearns for a little more adventure in her life. We have two siblings who mostly get along, but the younger one is really getting on the older ones' nerves as they grow into teenagers. We have the weird uncle who comes along even though there is a decent chance that no one really wants him to. We have seen this cast of characters before in every family road trip film, but the duck aspect makes it unique.

Mack (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) isn't wrong when he talks about how dangerous the concept of migration actually is if you stop and think about it for a second. You have the concept of predators and what that means for creatures like ducks when they are traveling, even more so for this family because they aren't a large group. If you have seen a trope during a family road trip film, then Migration is probably doing the duck version of it. One of the kids wants to stop for a bathroom break? Check. Reckless but wacky hijinks to help someone who can help them get back on the right track? Check. It's all here, and the best moments in the film are when it really leans into this. There is a scene early on dealing with Herons that looks like it's about to be straight out of a horror film, which might be the best scene in the entire movie.

CinemaCon 2023: Universal And Focus Shows Everyone Else How It's Done — Illumination Entertainment & Universal Pictures. This holiday season, Illumination 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. © 2023 Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

However, there is another aspect to the film that doesn't feel like it needs to be there and drags Migration down when it comes along. There is a scene in many of the trailers where the ducks see a duck getting cooked. That chef becomes a primary antagonist who follows this family around as they try to make their way South. However, the movie really didn't need this story beat to add tension. There were plenty of other ways for the Mallard family to run into trouble that didn't contrive a chef from New York to keep finding the same family of ducks all the way down the eastern coastline. The film is better in every aspect when it is just exactly what the elevator pitch says it is, "a family road trip film but with ducks." Those are the best moments in the film, and after the first interaction with the chef, he becomes a distraction and almost an annoyance to the rest of the movie.

The chef's plotline throws off the rest of the film's pacing, so despite being under 90 minutes, it makes it feel even longer. However, the animation surrounding the film is probably the best that Illumination has put out in a long time. The Super Mario Bros. Movie looks like the games by way of Illumination, and all of their other original films recently have been franchise favorites. If you aren't into the art style of the Minions, you're out of luck. The music is also fantastic but it's John Powell, so of course it is. Finally, the voice cast also does a good job of bringing life and personality to these birds and making you understand their hopes and fears. It's a testament to how important the combination of a strong voice acting performance and good animation is.

Migration is one of the better films that Illumination has put out in a long time, which is why it's a shame that it isn't getting the kind of hype it deserves. In a year with The Super Mario Bros. Movie lighting the world on fire, that sort of love should go to Migration, but sometimes that's just how these things work out. The film could have good word of mouth, pull a Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and start chugging along happily after this weekend. We can hope it will because it would be a real shame if the best movie Illumination has made in years flops, and we have to contend with nothing but more Minions and Mario films for the foreseeable future.

Migration

Review by Kaitlyn Booth

6/10

Migration doesn't hold to most of Pixar's library or even the top half of Dreamworks, but in terms of Illumination films, it is by far one of their stronger entries that leans into its premise and has fun with it.

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