Migration

Migration (2023) follows a family of mallards living on a pond in New England. The father is against migrating; the pond is safe and everything outside it is danger. The family talks him into it and they set off for Jamaica. The route goes through New York and nothing goes to plan. Benjamin Renner directed. He had previously made the hand drawn Ernest and Celestine and The Big Bad Fox. Producer Chris Meledandri chose him for exactly that reason, wanting a filmmaker's eye on the project. It is Illumination's first original project since 2016, not built on an existing franchise or licence. Mike White wrote the screenplay. He is better known for The White Lotus, and his work here comes from the same place: tension inside a family and the things its members cannot say to each other. Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina and Danny DeVito are among the voices. It cost 72 million dollars and grossed 301.2 million worldwide. It runs 83 minutes. Good for: family animation, a short running time, and themes of migration and leaving home. Less good for: the story follows the familiar shape of the genre, and the common critical verdict is fair; it does not stand out from the flock. The danger in the city section is tense for small children, and most of the supporting characters exist for a single joke.