Migration – Strong Family Animated Fare

The holiday season is a time for families to spend quality time together. A common activity for families over the holidays is to watch a movie. Nowadays, those options have learned more towards streaming than theatrical but this year, it is nice to see one merge through the noise of higher profile award contenders. Illumination and Universal have carved their own path with their latest animated feature, Migration. While not revolutionary by any means, it hits just the right notes in delivering an entertaining watch, led by an irresistibly cute dynamic that is sure to resonate with all audiences. It may not bring anything new to the table in terms of themes, stellar animation and strong voice acting help it stand out compared to other recent animated fare. Though it may not seem enough for some to make the trek to their movie theatres to see it when plenty of similar fare already exists through other means, it is certainly one that will appeal to audiences young and old, offering a fair share of laughs and heart. Running at around the 90-minute mark, it will also not demand that much time from them either.

Migration follows the Mallard family, led by Mack (Nanjiani), the paranoid patriarch who was more than content keeping his family safe by having them all remain in their familiar pond forever. However, Pam (Banks), the matriarch, yearned to show their kids, a teen named Dax (Caspar Jennings) and their duckling daughter Gwen (Tresi Gazal), the world beyond their pond. Once another migrating family of ducks tempted them with stories of the outside world, Pam finally persuaded Mack to embark on their first migration down south to Jamaica. Putting a different spin on the road trip comedy, that journey would not be without its own road bumps. An eye-opening experience, suffice it to say, an unexpected detour through New York City was particularly enlightening as the real world proved to be a much different place than their pond. Though not surprising, these galvanizing moments worked to bring the Mallards together. That family dynamic and how it grew and evolved, both together and as individuals, on screen over the course of the film is easily the best part despite being more of the same lessons. Meanwhile, that journey also came with a lot of hilarious moments and references featuring humor perhaps geared more towards younger audiences, but there’s some adult stuff sprinkled in.

Illumination are one of the undisputed leaders in animation and this continues to be the case here. Not lacking in color and brightness, characters and environments pop while the level of detail shown to each is impressive. The element of flying be it through the air or the film’s more complex environments, it added yet another dimension to the animation. Incredibly fluid, the film was at its best once it brought all of those elements together in several exciting set pieces. In the end, the one element that ties it all together is the strong voice acting across the board. Each fit their role perfectly with Nanjiani bringing the right often overwhelmed and neurotic energy to Mack, Banks bringing a motherly energy while being a nice counterbalance to Mack, and Jennings and Gazal each contributing just enough. DeVito also shined in a limited but still scene-stealing role as the other member of the Mallard family, Uncle Dan.

Ultimately, Migration may not be revolutionary but is still a wholesome watch that hits just the right notes in its execution of a familiar story and themes with heart and stellar animation.

still courtesy of Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.