This has been a big year when it comes to animated films. Cinema lovers have been fortunate enough to witness great features like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Boy and the Heron and Nimona, which are among the best movies of 2023. The year may almost be done, but there are still a number of other flicks that are just taking flight. The newest is Migration, which is the latest production that hails from industry giant Illumination. Critics have now seen this big-screen offering and, as a result, they're sharing their thoughts on the flick.
This fine-feathered film tells the story of the Mallards, a family of ducks seeking to shake things up by traveling to Jamaica by way of New York City. While the plan sounds solid enough, nothing quite turns out as planned. The birdy brood does, however, find itself embarking on a wild adventure, during which they make some eccentric new friends. With a fun-sounding premise and a voice cast consisting of Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key and more, the movie has received mostly positive reviews thus far. However, CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg is less than impressed, calling Illumination’s latest entry visually stunning but boring in his 2.5-star review:
With the Mallard family as a whole not setting out to do anything beyond get to Jamaica, Migration functions by just going from Conflict A to Conflict B to Conflict C and so on – each centering on a new, one-note colorful character with a celebrity voice. They all reek of first draft ideas, including the protagonists meeting a bunch of street-tough pigeons, being tasked with freeing a parrot from a cage, and avoiding being cooked by a chef as duck à l'orange. There is no imagination apparent.
French director Benjamin Renner was the director at the helm here, and he was working from a screenplay written by Mike White – the creator of HBO’s The White Lotus. While Eric Eisenberg isn't high on the movie, Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter enjoyed it. She specifically commends its brisk pace and lauded White’s screenplay for providing “plenty of real laugh-out-loud moments.” She also said:
I’m praising Migration so effusively because it is, above all, an enjoyable film made with heart and a respect for its audience. Sure, there are rough patches ( a bit about a vengeful chef overstays its welcome), but most of that can be forgiven. Renner’s direction animates key moments. Scenes of the Mallards soaring, quite gracefully, through the clouds or huddled together as they try to cross a busy intersection visually affirm their love and intimacy. A well-assembled cast of voice actors brings the characters to life.
When discussing this movie, it’s hard not to bring up Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros., which proved to be one of the biggest smash hits of the year. CinemaBlend’s Mario review wasn’t too positive as well, and many other critics weren’t too high on the video game adaptation either. The film still managed to win over its fair share of fans, though, and became 2023’s first billion-dollar hit at the box office. The notion of the studios’ latest feature reaching such heights doesn’t seem as likely, but that doesn’t deter a pundit like Deadline’s Pete Hammond from finding it charming:
The voice work is exceptional all around, and the animation spotlighting several different picaresque locales is a step above the norm for this type of studio toon. Renner’s background in traditional drawing comes in handy to deliver a more visually appealing look. John Powell’s score augments the action nicely, and this fun flick just flies by in a very entertaining hour and a half. Migration is mainly in it for the laughs, but it has much to say about family and stepping out of your comfort zone to find out exactly what you may be missing before it all passes you by.
Still, there are others, who weren’t quite as taken by the production. Variety critic Peter Debruge criticizes the film for being directionless and compares it unfavorably to the 2023 Netflix release Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. All in all, Debruge thinks this one is for the birds:
In a medium where stop-motion chickens organize elaborate escape plans, computer-generated ducks have to do a lot more than relocate to amuse us. Illumination’s ‘Migration’ — about a fussy duck dad who reluctantly reconsiders his fear of flying — is a cartoon in search of a concept, where the most daring idea is hiring the Oscar-nominated co-director of 2012’s 'Ernest & Celestine' and asking him to abandon that movie’s unique watercolor style in favor of a relatively standard digital approach. At least the backgrounds are eye-catching, as a waddle of mallards crack jokes amid beautiful fall foliage.
Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times can see cracks in this particular motion picture. However, he also conveyed that there are certain charms to be found. He says “isn’t exactly unique, but it’s different enough. And in today’s factory filmmaking, that’s almost as unlikely as milking a duck.” Ordoña also had nothing but glowing thoughts in regard to the animation:
Fortunately, though, while the broad strokes can be seen from outer space, ‘Migration’ doesn’t always feel like what we expect from shiny wide-release products. There is plenty of loud scoring and slapstick in the many chase sequences. But it’s nowhere near the frenetic assault on the senses of, say, 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie.' Where many animated productions sport a plastic sheen, ‘Migration’s’ textured look conveys a less-manufactured touch. There are lovely vistas taken in from the air. The hue palette is more muted than the usual candy-colored explosions. The light feels gentler with mellower shadows. We’re often in the magic hours of dusk or dawn. In the distance, the haze blurs to an almost watercolor effect.
So all in all, the consensus seems to be that this entry on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases doesn’t exactly break the mold in any way. Yet it still manages to entertain with its vibrant visuals and warm themes of family and adventure. You can decide for yourself whether the film soars or needs to be grounded when Migration opens in theaters on December 22.
