'Migration' Review: Flying Under the Radar

A family of ducks head south for the winter in this animated surprise, now streaming on Peacock TV.

Now Streaming: Let me be clear: this movie flew under my radar, but it ended up earning nearly $300 million at the box office worldwide, per Box Office Mojo, so millions of people knew about it and saw it in theaters. 

Now a division of Universal Pictures, animation studio Illumination, most recently known for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, made this picture out of their offices (and studio) in Paris, France, under the direction of Benjamin Renner, known for the delightful Ernest & Celestine (2012), as well as The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (2017), the latter based on his own comic book. Renner came up with the story for Migration together with Mike White, who is known for his definitely adult-skewing The White Lotus series on Max (formerly HBO). Earlier in his career, though, White wrote family-friendlier comedies such as School of Rock (2003) and Nacho Libre (2006), so he's not entirely unacquainted with the territory. 

Somehow, none of this pertinent information penetrated my brain back in late December, when this film opened the same weekend as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Anything But You and The Iron Claw. No wonder that Migration ended in third place that week. From the advertising, I concluded that it was a family film, of the type I'd seen before -- migrating birds? Is that the whole movie? I'd rather watch Carroll Ballard's lovely Fly Away Home (1996) again. So it didn't sound like something with much interest for adults without children, such as myself. 

Au contraire, mon capitaine. 

Now streaming exclusively on Peacock, the film does begin on familiar ground, as we are introduced to a family of Mallard ducks on a New England pond. Fearful father Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is to anxious to even contemplate allowing his family to migrate, as all the other ducks do, despite the protests of wife and mother Pam (Elizabeth Banks) and their two children, Dax (Caspar Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal, daughter of the film's editor, Christian Gazal).  

Despite the vocal dexterity of Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks, however, that would make for a very, very short movie, so Mack overcomes his fears, thanks to seeing his Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) floating on the pond that night out of sheer laziness, and rouses his family in the morning so they can begin their migration … to Jamaica, which, trust me, is a destination for many, many people in New England during the winter. 

Rather than simply animate the family of Mallard ducks flying majestically through the air, which looks terrific, by the way, screenwriter Mike White conjures up a series of episodes that finds the family making unexpected stops to shelter from a rainstorm, then barely surviving New York City, then stopping at what looks like a theme park filled with happy Pekins, but in reality threatens their future. 

Along the way, the family makes new friends. Sheltering from a rainstorm allows them to meet a great blue heron named Erin (Carol Kane), which allows for a mini-reunion of Taxi cast members, since Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) is traveling with the rest of the family. Their stop in New York City allows them to meet the pigeon Chump (Awkwafina) and also a macaw named Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key), who years to return home to Jamaica. They also meet a Pekin named GooGoo (David Mitchell), who leads his fellow Pekins in the hidden paradise of their secret surroundings. (Spoiler: it ain't what it seems to be.) 

Every danger that arises is survived by the family, so no worries about that for family heads looking out for their children. As expected from all movies targeted at family audiences, there are Important Life Lessons That Must Be Taught, and they are friendly and conversational, rather than hectoring or lectoring. Indeed, the one time that a parental unit really puts his (webbed) foot down, he immediately regrets his stern tone.  

Yet, there is much for older, childless adults to enjoy as well. First, of course, is the splendid animation, with its lush backgrounds and pictorial beauty, and the excellent character designs for the different members of the Mallard family, as well as other birds (and humans) that are encountered on the trip. 

Beyond that, it's often quite unexpectedly funny, especially when the ducks must deal with a gang of unruly pigeons in Central Park; Awkwafina is very, very funny with her delivery. The high quality of the voice cast ensures that every nuance rings true. 

Really, what better way to celebrate Earth Day than by watching a movie that celebrates winged creatures whizzing through the air and enjoying their family together? 

Note: What I truly appreciate about ad-supported Peacock is that for movies arriving fresh from theaters, the ads are at the front of the movie, while the movie itself plays without any ad breaks, at least for the first weekend of its availability. Splendid! [Peacock TV]