Migration (2023)

Following the original Despicable Me, Illumination has had a very spotty track record in terms of story quality, with incredible highs with The Super Mario Bros. Movie and varying lows with films like The Secret Life of Pets and Minions. What they have consistently improved on, however is their animation quality, to the point where I had some interest in viewing their latest film, Migration, for that sole reason, preferably without spending too much money in the endeavor. Fortunately, I got the chance to watch it as an offering of free in-flight (heh) entertainment, even if the airline made me watch it on my phone (RIP phone battery). Unfortunately, while Migration is a visual step up from Illumination's usual output, the story holds it back from really spreading its wings.

In Moosehead Pond, in New England, Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani), an overprotective father, prevents his son Dax (Caspar Jennings) and daughter Gwen (Tresi Gazal) from leaving the pond and exploring the outside world, much to his wife Pam’s (Elizabeth Banks) chagrin. One day, a family of migrating ducks on their way to Jamaica stop by and invite the Mallards to join them, but Macks forbids his family from joining in spite of their interest. A conversation with Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito), however, convinces Mack that he should let his family migrate and they, along with Uncle Dan at Gwen’s insistence, fly off for Jamaica the next morning. On their way, however, they face a number of obstacles and incur the wrath of a very persistent chef.

The migration gets off to a rocky start. L-R (clockwise from top):
Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito), Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani), Gwen Mallard (Tresi Gazal),
Dax Mallard (Caspar Jennings), Pam Mallard (Elizabeth Banks)

On a technical level, Migration is easily one of Illumination’s best films. The opening sequence, which features a very convincing replica of traditional animation in CG, looks phenomenal and showcases a lot of raw talent on part of the team, as well as a sign that Illumination could incorporate different visual styles within the same film if they felt like putting in the effort. From there, the more predominant CG animation helps the film stand out from the rest of Illumination’s catalogue with a (comparatively) unique and expressive art style that still doesn’t stray too far from actual bird anatomy. You can tell the animators did their research in depicting realistic duck movements and taking duck anatomy into account for interactions while also incorporating some amount of squash and stretch, as well as the frequent interactions with air and water. Nature is captured in its full beauty, with a painterly touch in many of the backgrounds, while city scenes provide a sharp contrast with its much harsher atmosphere, especially noticeable in how Central Park combines both environments.

The film does a great job with backgrounds.

I also loved the individual character designs, which is partly what attracted me to the film. Though they do stick close to actual bird anatomy, you can still tell a lot about each character just by looking at them. The Mallards, in particular, put their personality on full display, both in the treatment of their feathers and the look in their eyes when at rest. I’m not as fond of the human designs, especially the chef’s generic “Illumination” style of caricature, but it’s not like you’ll remember them too much anyway. Outside of that, I’d honestly consider buying an art book for the film if one existed.

What really helps, however, is the great voice acting, though only from the birds (humans don’t speak outside of grunts for some inexplicable reason). Although the cast consists almost entirely of celebrities, they show great range, which I would attribute to good voice direction. Outside of the Mallards, Keegan-Michael Key shows surprising emotional depth as Delroy, a caged scarlet macaw who longs to see his family in Jamaica again. Although Akwafina shows up as Chump, the one-footed leader of a New York pigeon gang, it’s a rare role that works more in her favor and she (thankfully) doesn’t overstay her welcome.

Keegan-Michael Key shows range as Delroy (Right).
Also depicted: Chump (Akwafina, Left).

 

John Powell, who previously composed for Illumination’s The Lorax in 2012, also does a good job with the score. While I didn’t remember much of it outside of the cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor”, not helped by watching the film in conditions that drowned out much of the music, it does help bring out more of the intended emotions of each scene and highlights the feeling of ducks flying through a perilous journey. Listening to the score out of context as I write this, I can appreciate the effort better and I like that it at least doesn’t blend in with generic orchestral scores common in other modern productions (film or otherwise).

Where Migration falls apart, however, is its story, which no amount of good music or technical ability could mask. While the film does get credit for its position as the first original Illumination film since 2016’s Sing, and the feeling that it’s a series of vignettes wearing a trench coat fits the “road trip” vibe, the individual plot points are rather predictable, with little attempt at giving them a different spin, outside of a bit of misdirection with the heron encounter. The film’s main antagonist, a chef from a fancy New York restaurant, shows up a bit late in the story and feels generic with his near lack of a personality. What doesn’t really help is that the brisk 83-minute runtime doesn’t leave much room for character development outside of Mack’s character arc (we don’t even learn why Mack is so overprotective in the first place).

A similar sentiment extends to the humor, which feels more hit-and-miss. It doesn’t stray too far from the typical “Illumination” style, though it at least makes an attempt at more original jokes and has its moments, even at least one repeated in the trailers:

Gwen: What's Duck a l'Orange?

Chump: It’s you, with l'Orange on top.

Some of the visual humor is also pretty on-point.

While the film doesn’t include any of the toilet humor from other Illumination films, it does have one scene where Gwen isn’t comfortable relieving herself in the sky and insists on making a stop on land. This scene helps transition into the next obstacle on the journey, but I found myself bothered by how this specific plot point went unresolved (there’s no indication that Gwen actually “goes” and her issue is nonexistent once the next scene begins).

If you just want good animation and aren’t too discerning about story, then Migration is serviceable family fun. Otherwise, it doesn’t really top the original Despicable Me in relative quality (going entirely on the standards of Illumination’s originals) and I would at least recommend not spending too much money on watching this film if you’re curious.