Review of 'Migration'

Mack Mallard (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) is a nervous duck. He discourages his children Dax (voiced by Caspar Jennings) and Gwen (voiced by Tresi Gazal) from venturing beyond the New England pond they call home, to the displeasure of his wife Pam (voiced by Elizabeth Banks). Scared of the wider world, he tells his children of the horrors that await them - Predators, terrible weather and poisonous mushrooms. When a group of migrating ducks visit the pond on their way to Jamaica they are surprised that the family do not migrate. Pam warns Mack that his fear of the outside world could tear the family apart with the interest of his children in life beyond the pond. Mack reluctantly agrees to leave and, along with Uncle Dan (voiced by Danny DeVito), the family begin their journey. During their trip they seek shelter with Erin (voiced by Carol Kane) and her invalid husband Harry, a heron whose true motives remain unclear…are they guests or are they dinner? Lost, the family arrive in New York where they encounter a group of pigeons who tell them to seek help from Delroy (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) a caged scarlet macaw owned by a fanatical chef who has very sharp knives…

A bit of fun that looks great and will certainly entertain younger viewers. For a mass-market film from the makers of the Gru/Minions and Ice Age films the simple, fun animation is surprisingly good (look out for the water reflections when the ducks are swimming) particularly the aerial sequences. There are some nice surprises here that keeps us guessing as to whether the family will actually make it. The voice talent here is great with a good amount of personality given to each of the characters. The ending of the story is never really in doubt but it is great fun getting there with some fantastically frenetic action sequences along the way.

Great fun, light entertainment that would likely appeal mostly to a younger audience with it's simple story line (break out of your shell and see the world). Still, I liked it.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2026-02-21

Directed by: Benjamin Renner

Studio: Universal Pictures

Year: 2023

Length: 83 minutes

Genre: Animation

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6495056/