Animation this year is full of sequels, from the upcoming Moana 2, Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4 and even Kung Fu Panda 4. It is therefore refreshing to get a brand new original film based on an original story with Migration, from the studio behind hit franchises Minions, The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. Original stories in animation is a hard sell at the moment with a lot of misfires such as Disney’s Wish which didn’t exactly break out at the box office. This leaves a lot of expectations and hopes that Illumination Entertainment’s latest film can do better than recent efforts. It turns out Migration is actually a very good film and it is connecting to audiences across the world, and so it appears originality is back on the big screen.
Migration is centred around a family of ducks with Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks voicing the parents alongside David Mitchell, Danny DeVito, Keegan Michael-Key and others voicing various other birds that appear in the film. The film feels like Rio meets Ice Age. The crux of the story is based around this family of ducks as they migrate away from their pond to Jamaica. On their journey they run into other feathered friends, a few enemies and some disasters as well. Migration is essentially a family fun road trip film that takes to the skies and the buildings of New York too.
The animation is extremely crisp and clean and the moments where the ducks are flying through clouds and towering over the countryside are just breathtaking. The quality feels unmatched and you can compare these scenes to certain moments of How to Train Your Dragon in terms of how to make the sky look wide and vast in scope. The textures, colours and overall look of the film is cinematic and it comes alive in a very vibrant way. The script is equally as great with a lot of comedy sprinkled into the story. The family of ducks have travelling anxiety and as a result there are moments where the family are stuck in some pretty hilarious situations. This also makes the story relatable for a lot of other families who are watching.
Migration has a lot going for it. It doesn’t seem to look or sound like anything you’ve seen before. It is a little generic in places and the villain could have been done a little better, but the majority of the film is a remarkable display of how to tell storytelling in animation in new and creative ways. The family of ducks are all very well developed and the voice actors do a fantastic job at brining these birds to life. There are other characters too such as Uncle Dan and Delroy, a Macaw, who also provide a lot of heart and humour too. By the end of the film you will be disappointed that their journey has come to an end. I would love to see more of this family and I am sure other families will agree with me.
★★★★☆
4/5
Final Verdict:
igration is a technical achievement and a great story - a winning combination. The film has a cinematic look and feel that helps elevate the story. There is a lot of comedy which works very well and a lot of the characters in the film all feel important and central to the story. It is a difficult film to craft a true villain, but it doesn’t matter too much as the emphasis is on the family of ducks. Migration is a big win for Illumination Entertainment and I can imagine they have another franchise on their hands.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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