Migration: Film Review
Illumination, the home of the Minions, has branched out into new territory with their duck tale Migration.
The story follows the Mallard family, who never leave their New England pond because they – or rather the father Mack (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) – are too scared to venture elsewhere. But when they meet birds migrating to Jamaica, his wife Pam (Elizabeth Banks) and their two kids convince him to get out and explore the world.
But migrating to Jamaica isn’t as simple as it sounds, especially for ducks who haven’t done it before. They have a lot of obstacles along the way, including a grave encounter with herons, a dispute with pigeons in New York City and a battle with an evil chef with a penchant for duck a l’Orange.
Migration is a fun-filled adventure for all the family. It doesn’t reach the highs of Illumination’s Despicable Me and Sing franchises but it’s an entertaining animation starring anthropomorphic ducks (and who doesn’t love ducks?!) The visuals were good and it was packed with decent ideas, although the duck wellness retreat reminded me of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. I laughed out loud a bunch, particularly in the New York section, and thought the voice cast did well.
The main four were solid and carried the movie but I particularly enjoyed the supporting voices, such as Awkwafina as the feisty pigeon Chump and Keegan-Michael Key as a homesick Jamaican macaw named Delroy.
Migration might not have the most original story but it’s still an enjoyable way to spend 83 minutes.
In cinemas Friday 2nd February