Migration, 2023.
Directed by Benjamin Renner & Guylo Homsy.
Featuring the voice talents of Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell, Carol Kane, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal and Danny DeVito.
SYNOPSIS:
A family of ducks decides to leave the safety of a New England pond for an adventurous trip to Jamaica. However, their well-laid plans quickly go awry when they get lost and wind up in New York City. The experience soon inspires them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends, and accomplish more than they ever thought possible.
Animated ducks have been given short shrift over the years; Daffy was last seen scrapping with Donald on the stage of the Ink ‘n’ Paint Club in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, while the latter has gone from being Mickey’s mate, to being reduced to a no pants punch line.
Illumination’s Migration is hoping to do for the billed birds what the studio has done for domestic dogs (The Secret Life of Pets) and musical marsupials (Sing).
The premise is relatively simple and one that we’ve seen in Aardman’s similar feathered fare, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, as well as other animated animal adventures such as Madagascar. What lies beyond the horizon?
Asking that question are the ducklings of pond-dwelling couple Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) and Pam (Elizabeth Banks), who watch visitors to their quaint New England waterhole fly off on their migratory journeys to tropical destinations. He treats them with a level of disdain, happy to turn his back on the risks inherit with flapping their wings beyond the confines of their pond, while she looks on with envy at their wide-eyed excitement and brightly coloured feathers.
When he’s eventually wing-twisted into setting off on a Jamaican vacation, Migration flies in a familiar formation that doesn’t do enough to lift it out of the flock. In a year in which we’ve had the parrots and titular bird of The Boy and the Heron, this feels relatively flat.
Perhaps that’s an unfair comparison, because this is aimed squarely at the ducklings in the audience, who’ll no doubt lap up the conveyor belt of characters the family meet along the way.
There’s Carol Kane’s unhinged heron (who knew they ate baby ducks?), who brings the same energy to her creepy creation as her memorable turn playing the Ghost of Christmas Present from Scrooged, while Danny DeVito is exactly how you’d imagine Frank Reynolds in duck form would be, and Awkwafina is requisitely brilliant as a New York pigeon. However, the standout is Peep Show’s David Mitchell as an oblivious duck farm cult leader, featuring in a thread that carries the same anti-meat message that ran through Chicken Run 2.
Sadly the fleeting appearances of these eccentric birds only emphasises the dull nature of the main quacking quartet, who aside from the cuteness factor of Tresi Gazal’s Gwen, and the impressive comedic talent providing the voices, you couldn’t really give a flying duck about.
Migration looks gorgeous, with the journey taking us from the orange hued beauty of their autumnal pond, through the steam hiss greys of the big-city, and onto the tropical vibrancy of the finale. If Illumination are resting on their laurels in terms of story (the script is by White Lotus scribe Mike White), then there’s at least some aesthetic compensation.
Put it this way; kids aren’t going to be wanting a stuffed duck to replace their Minion, but Migration is enough of a distraction to ensure that it just about earns its wings.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Matt Rodgers – Follow me on Twitter
