Migration

Originally published Jan 16, 2024

I’m old enough to remember a time before Illumination Entertainment. Ever since their debut in 2010, this animation studio has more or less made a reputation for themselves in regards to the quality of their animated films: money-grossing, Minion-centric, and mediocre. While I’ll admit their juvenile humor and overly-generous marketing may attest to that, 2023 was something of a stand-out year for the studio. You’ve already heard me sing my praises of the box-office smash that was The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but they released an original creation around Christmastime that exceeded my almost non-existent expectations. Let’s talk about Migration.

A family of mallards, headed by Mack, who’s more or less Marlin without the trauma to justify his anxiety, go on their first family migration to Jamaica. On their journey, the encounter unsettling herons, a street-gang of pigeons and a maniacally relentless chef. The ending isn’t too hard to guess and the character arcs are pretty standard, but the movie fortunately has some saving graces to make up for it. For starters, the humor is actually pretty sharp and restrained compared to most Illumination movies. With the notable exception of some of the human characters, the animation is as appealing as ever. The voice cast is pretty top-notch; Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Danny DeVito, and even Awkwafina each give a genuine energy to their performances that match their respective characters perfectly. Finally, by far the biggest star of the movie is its sensational soundtrack, composed by the incomparable John Powell. Throw this all together, along with an enjoyable short featuring the return of the legendary Vector, Mooned, and you’ve got a serviceable film that’s at least worth a short flight to your nearest theater.

Rating: 7/10