Summary
- Illumination’s CGI adventure film Migration is gorgeously animated and takes the audience on a thrilling journey with a tight-knit family of mallards.
- The film’s characters, particularly the adorable little sister Gwen, are wonderfully written by the great Mike White (Enlightened, The White Lotus).
- Director Benjamin Renner delivers breathtaking visuals as the birds explore stunning new environments, including an impressive depiction of Manhattan.
The production studio Illumination soars to creative new heights with a hilarious CGI adventure that’s beautifully animated. Migration stars a tight-knit family of mallards who’ve spent their entire lives sheltered in a pond. They decide to throw caution to the wind and follow a flock of birds to the ultimate island getaway — drumroll please — Jamaica. But getting to the aviary paradise proves much harder than expected with crazy obstacles and a psychotic chef hot on their feathers. They’ll need new friends and a lot of courage or risk becoming Duck à l’Orange for dinner.
On Moosehead Lake, Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani) terrifies his ducklings with tales of what happens to tasty birds in the cruel world. Dax (Caspar Jennings) and his freaking adorable little sister, Gwen (Tresi Gazal), head to bed with nightmares of being gobbled up. Pam (Elizabeth Banks), Mack’s beloved and fearless wife, chastises him for scaring the children. There has to be something beyond the trees worth seeing.
A flock of migrating birds land to rest for their journey south. A smitten Dax befriends the cute Kim (Isabela Merced), who regales him with anecdotes of Jamaican splendor. She invites the Mallards to come, but Mack steadfastly refuses. It’s too dangerous despite Pam and the kids’ ardent desires. Mack changes his tune after a visit from his curmudgeonly Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito). Ignore your family’s interests and they’ll leave soon enough.
A Duck Dynasty
Release Date December 22, 2023
Director Benjamin Renner , Guylo Homsy
Rating PG
Runtime 1hr 22min
Mack rallies his surprised clan. Pluck up your tail feathers and get ready to fly — straight into a thunderstorm. The trip has an inauspicious start with the Mallards huddled together in the pouring rain. The situation gets worse when a kooky heron, Erin (Carol Kane), invites them to safety in her shack. Those poor little ducklings look exhausted and delicious. Mack and Pam have second thoughts about leaving as Erin prepares their bed…a frying pan.
Migration tickles the funny bone with wonderful character dynamics. The brilliant Mike White (School of Rock, The White Lotus) is in top form with another fantastic script. The Mallards are instantly recognizable. Gwen steals the show as the pestering little sister who relishes embarrassing her big brother. Dax’s efforts to stop her from spoiling his mojo fail spectacularly. His bumbling attempts to hit on Kim are laughably interrupted as Gwen refuses to be ignored. Gwen’s also quite skilled at turning on the charm to get whatever she wants. Her big watery eyes, squeaky voice, and pouting demeanor could sell sand in the desert. Gwen’s clever cajoling is a running gag that never gets old.
Related: 8 Amazing Animated Movies and Short Films About Birds to Watch Before Migration
White is truly applause-worthy with his focus on the relationship between Mack and Pam. They’re equal partners who compliment each other in every sense. Mack’s fear and stubbornness aren’t selfish traits. He’s a father and husband who puts his family first. Pam is the doting mom who can roll up her sleeves to get any job done. She’s the brains and brawn when the going gets tough. There’s a positively sweet turn as Mack and Pam rediscover romance with a saucy salsa subplot. You can’t help but smile as a loving couple strengthens their bond. Hollywood has been fiercely criticized for portraying nontraditional lifestyles in animated films. The nuclear family values crowd won’t have any issues here.
A Pigeon with Attitude
French director Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine) delivers a feast for the eyes that honestly surpasses expectations. The film takes your breath away as the birds fly through amazing settings. The cinematography brings to mind the classic documentary Winged Migration that followed birds from their point of view. There’s a 360 degree perspective where the mallards swoop and dive to explore exciting new environments. This is especially remarkable during the second act in New York City. The Mallards arrive on a dark and cloudy night. They are stupefied to behold a sunrise of glistening buildings towering towards the sky. Scenes of the birds noting their reflections in glass and steel en route to Central Park are stunning. Kudos to Renner and the Illumination animators for capturing Manhattan in such astounding detail.
Related: The 10 Most Expensive Illumination Movies Ever Made, Ranked
The menacing and snarling antagonist, who instills fear in his kitchen à la Gordon Ramsay, serves another purpose. The rescue of Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key), a caged Jamaican parrot with the requisite patois accent, unleashes his tattooed and pierced chef owner. Migration takes a page from Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget with a Mrs. Tweedy-esque villain hellbent on duck yumminess. White, a prominent vegan, doesn’t sugarcoat what happens to birds on meat farms. Gorging on grain and olive oil massages both loosen muscle tension for a grisly purpose. White makes sure kids are aware his endearing characters could easily be on a plate.
Migration is preceded by a brainless short that continues to milk the indecipherable yellow minions. Mooned shows what happened to Vector (Jason Segel) after his defeat in Despicable Me. There’s little creativity to its slapstick buffoonery. Thankfully, the main feature succeeds where Mooned fails. Migration is an absolute delight and one of Illumination’s best films.
Migration will be released theatrically on December 22nd from Universal Pictures.
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