‘Migration’ Review: Illumination Effort Soars With Easygoing Fun
Here we are once again bickering over animation; it seems constantly within the cinema related media-sphere that folks are arguing about the medium. Point in relation to defining the medium, defining and differentiating different versions of the medium, squabbling about whether or not animated efforts can even be considered film (a real question that unfortunately has supporters)… it’s a lot.
Then sometimes, you have films like the Spider-Verse duology that come in and redefine much of what you knew about all those questions, and animation as a whole, in the first place. Before Spider-Verse, it was Toy Story. And before Toy Story, it was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Constant evolution, non-stop discussion. Every now and again, it’s nice to drop out of the ivory tower and just enjoy the breeze, whimsically ignorant of the chaos continuing above. Enter: Migration.
Illumination isn’t known for their heavy-hitters, by any means. Truthfully, they’ve developed a reputation for subpar, often low-grade children’s comedies. That isn’t to say all their films fall in that trap (more recently, Super Mario Bros. rocked), but you can’t watch Minions and leave without a permanent scar. Yet, there is a certain charm to their approach when applied correctly, in exactly the way in which Migration does it.
The film feels similar to their iteration of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is also severely underrated. There’s a heavy emphasis on physical comedy, highlighted by rounded character designs and situational screw-ups. In absence of vocal humor, these films thrive on old-fashioned gags. Migration tailors the entire thing specifically to the duck protagonists, with constant bits and nods to that context. It may be cute, even easy, but that has nothing to do with the fact that it still works like an absolute charm. Illumination is parent perfection in that regard.
They’ve amped up their visual style, too. Illumination has often been criticized for their milquetoast tendencies on the stylistic front; for a while, that was a fair point. Stuff like Sing and The Secret Life of Pets feel like slim precursors to Migration, which truly feels like a final evolution of sorts for their tastes. It’s all very kiddy and plushy, they’ll likely never shake that, but Migration adopts a painting-like style in broad strokes, texturing the world in which these pudgy ducks live. The film has a case for the best looking animated film of 2023; there are more than a few stunning sequences. Without spoiling specifics, look out for the group’s first flight and a later sky-bound scene in the clouds. They border on awe-inspiring.
We even get visual nods to other, more mature uncharted territory for Illumination. A scene early on, hinted at in the trailer, adopts cues from common horror techniques and lookbooks to create a legitimately creepy scene in context (and one that greatly stands out among their filmography). We may be having a very different conversation had they stuck with this mindset and taken a few more chances of that ilk, but at about the halfway point, Illumination has revealed their entire hand.
There are still a few decent beats uncovered in the latter half but, for the most part, Migration seriously sputters out. If not for the consistent comedic through line, the two halves would feel completely and utterly disconnected. The film settles on a listless human villain, where it had thus far favored natural obstacles and more unique ways to halt the main cast along their journey. Introducing your main villain, who, by the way, has no dialogue, halfway through the film seems like a blatant and baffling misstep. You quickly tire of the heartless antics that ensue as a result of his pointless presence, and such a result would seem obvious when employing a blank slate such as this. Perhaps it was a purposeful sacrifice.
Yet, not only does Migration make that move, but it betrays its previously established, relatively grounded tone in favor of something more akin to the Despicable Me films in the third act, all the way up to a thankfully redemptive ending, which we’ll get to in a moment. It just makes no sense here; other than trying to please an audience with a net-zero attention span, there is no clear reason why the film detours and distracts itself for a hearty chunk of the second and third acts. It’s a bummer, this could’ve been Illumination’s calling card.
But admittedly, the last ten minutes or so does regain some ground. It returns to that aforementioned tone, building off a great character moment in the climax and allowing our crew to reach their final destination, no strings attached. It’s a chain of cute payoffs that round the whole thing off in a successful manner. You likely won’t forget about the problems, but when the opening and closing are as strong as they are here, it’s easy to bury the bad stuff in between, especially in retrospect. A good ending goes a long way.
It’s also worth noting that this is still among the best in animation this year. Aside from Across the Spider-Verse and Mutant Mayhem, there’s very little in the way of Migration at least receiving a medal. Further, even if it doesn’t have that “it” factor that Illumination is still looking for, it’s likely their best achievement to date. Celebrate the wins, no matter how small.
Families should consider Migration an essential watch. For that purpose, it has it all; well-rounded characters, easily traced and all-encompassing themes, and inevitable fun abound. You may have to buy the kiddos a troupe of mallard plushies, but the trade-off is worth it in this case. It’s a guaranteed winner for a family outing.
Still, there’s enough to like for anyone here to warrant at least one watch. It’s a harmless, breezy bit of entertainment that cares more about its characters than it had to in order to succeed. Occasionally a bore, often dry, but never written in. Give Migration a chance, preferably in a theater for the sake of those visuals. Kudos to Illumination for finally poking a few holes in their long dormant box.