Migration is a 2023 American computer-animated adventure film, produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination, directed by Benjamin Renner, co-directed by Guylo Homsy, written by Mike White and featuring the voices of Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina, and Danny DeVito. The story follows a family of mallards as they go on a vacation of a lifetime and attempt to migrate from New England, through New York City, and to Jamaica.
Illumination announced Migration in February 2022, with Renner, Homsy, and White attached as respective director, co-director, and writer. Renner, who had previously helmed traditionally animated films, was tasked with adapting his simple drawing style for a computer-animated film. In hiring Renner, studio head and producer Chris Meledandri sought to focus on a filmmaker's vision for the project in comparison with Illumination's recent films. John Powell will compose the score, marking his second collaboration with Illumination following The Lorax (2012).
Migration is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on December 22, 2023, by Universal Pictures.
Premise[]
In a New England forest lives a family of mallards consisting of anxious father Mack, adventurous mother Pam, restless son Dax and innocent daughter Gwen. Mack constantly discourages his family to venture beyond Moosehead Pond, where they live, much to Pam's displeasure.
One day, the family meets a flock of migrating ducks who are en route south to Jamaica, which Pam, Dax, and Gwen find interesting, but Mack has no such interest. Pam tells Mack that he must open his eyes to the world outside him. That night, Mack talks with his aging Uncle Dan, who, like him, does not want to leave the pond. However, Uncle Dan makes Mack second-guess his stance and decides to have his family migrate, with Uncle Dan joining them under Gwen's convincement. However, they end up going north instead of south.
During a rainstorm, they take up shelter in a swamp underneath a boardwalk, where they encounter a crazed elderly heron named Erin, who brings them to her shack to spend the night with herself and her husband Harry. Despite their frightening disposition, the herons prove their good intentions by saving Dax and Gwen from a catfish. The following day, the family arrives in New York City, where Uncle Dan wanders off and ends up getting the ducks in trouble with a flock of pigeons led by the gritty Chump. However, Pam's assertiveness puts them in Chump's good graces.
Chump leads them to her friend, Delroy, a macaw who is from Jamaica but lives caged by his owner, a human chef. Wanting to set Delroy free, Mack and Pam infiltrate the restaurant where the chef works, to acquire a key to his cage. After evading the humans, they manage to get the key and free Delroy, who gratefully guides them to Jamaica. While Gwen stops for a bathroom break, Mack soon finds an entrance to a paradise full of ducks. The group begins to enjoy themselves, but Dax soon finds out the whole place is a duck farm, with the chef being one of its clients. Dax helps the birds escape the farm, but he loses his wing feathers after being stepped on by the chef, rendering him flightless.
The birds stop to rest at a resort, where Mack chastises Dax for his recklessness, much to the latter's anger and sadness. Soon, the chef finds the birds via helicopter and traps them in a net, except for Dax and Gwen. Inside, the chef plans to kill Mack and Pam first, prompting Pam to give into despair, only for Mack to raise her spirits. They try to push a button to release the birds, but are caught by the chef. Delroy, having finally had enough, throws some fruits and vegetables to hurt the chef. The chef is knocked unconscious, hitting a button that causes the floor to open up, resulting in Pam and Mack falling through the sky, still stuck in their cage. They are saved by their kids, with Dax having fixed his wings using some of the other birds' feathers. Both father and son silently reconcile.
The birds, now led by Dax, eventually arrive in Jamaica, where Delroy reunites with his friends and the Mallards catch up with the duck family who visited their pond earlier.
The following spring, the family is about to head for home when Mack shows them a group of penguins trying to get to the South Pole.
Voice cast[]
- Kumail Nanjiani as Mack
- Elizabeth Banks as Pam
- Tresi Gazal as Gwen
- Caspar Jennings as Dax
- Keegan-Michael Key as Delroy
- Awkwafina as Chump
- Danny DeVito as Dan
- Carol Kane as Erin
- David Mitchell as GooGoo
- Isabela Merced as Kim
Production[]
On February 18, 2022, Illumination announced the film, with French animator and comic book creator Benjamin Renner set to direct with Guylo Homsy as co-director and Mike White set to pen the script. Renner previously directed the traditionally animated films Ernest & Celestine (2012) and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... (2017), and was already a household name among the staff of Illumination Studios Paris prior to his involvement with the company. Illumination head and film producer Chris Meledandri hired Renner to direct the studio's first original project since 2016 for his filmmaking sensibility, stating during his visit to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival that there is a "filmmaker attention" for Migration in comparison with Illumination's recent releases up to The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).
Renner was tasked with adapting his minimalist drawing style from previous films for a computer-animated film, which requires backgrounds to be fully visualized and rendered instead of suggested; he had previously designed the visuals for the 2014 Franco-Belgian computer-animated film about migrating birds titled Yellowbird, which was noted for not strictly adhering to photorealism. For Migration, Renner explained that he took inspiration from naturally expressive animals in the wild in creating characters that have distinctly expressive features in their designs. He also noted that the film's tone would increasingly become more tense as the story progresses.
On April 26, 2023, Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal, David Mitchell, and Carol Kane were announced to be part of the film's lead voice cast, while some of the film crew such as co-director Guylo Homsy, editor Christian Gazal and production designer Colin Stimpson were also revealed.
Release[]
Migration is scheduled to release in the United States on December 22, 2023, after originally being set for a release on June 30, 2023.[1][2]
As part of their 18-month deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, then will move to Netflix for the next ten, and then will return to Peacock for the remaining four.[3][4]
Marketing[]
The announcement trailer was released on April 5, 2023 online and theatrically before screenings of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Trivia[]
- Illumination's 5th film to be produced in 2.39:1
Videos[]
Trailers[]
References[]
- ↑ Despicable Me 4’ Set for Summer 2024 by Illumination, Universal
- ↑ Universal Pushes Release Date For Illumination Comedy ‘Migration’
- ↑ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release. Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Moon, Mariella (2021-07-14). Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US (in en).
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