Illumination, maker of 鈥淒espicable Me,鈥� 鈥淪ing鈥� and 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie,鈥� has built its animation empire by mostly staying close to a child-like outlook. Illumination鈥檚 in-house mascots, the Minions, are basically themselves careening toddlers.
But the studio鈥檚 latest, carries a faintly more parental perspective. Its central character is a father duck, Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani), whose fears and paranoia have kept his feathered family rooted to a small New England pond. But after much cajoling from his wife (Elizabeth Banks) and two ducklings (Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal), Mack and company take flight for their first winter migration south to Jamaica.
鈥淢igration鈥� is vividly animated with warm cartoon tones that would do Daffy proud. But it never quite spreads its wings. Stories of overly cautious moms or dads turned adventurers are not exactly fresh material, even if it is atypical that a helicopter parent like Mack can actually fly.
Written by 鈥淲hite Lotus鈥� creator Mike White, 鈥淢igration鈥� 鈥� a family road trip movie sans the road 鈥� mostly comes off as a gentle suggestion to take that Caribbean vacation you鈥檝e been putting off. White, having mocked lavish trips to Hawaii and Italy on his HBO series, has less satire for the Mallards' excursion to Jamaica 鈥� though the journey to get there is certainly perilous.
Once the family sets off, with Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) in tow, their stops include a fearful night with a bug-eyed heron (Carol Kane) who makes them a bed in a frying pan; a New York encounter with a flock of pigeons and their tough-talking leader (Awkwafina); a parrot (Keegan-Michael Key) caged by a chef who specializes in duck 脿 l鈥檕range; and a cult-like farm where ducks are being ominously well treated.
These are not, you may be thinking, the most salient dangers that await most winged creatures making their way south. Loss of sanctuary or fluctuating climate are no issues here, though the duck 脿 l鈥檕range chef, who has his own helicopter, proves to be a surprisingly regular threat.
It鈥檚 around then that 鈥淢igration鈥� begins to feel more like a wild goose chase. That鈥檚 not the worst thing for a holiday family movie, though it happens to make 鈥淢igration鈥� very comfortably the second-best heron-featuring movie in theaters right now. is far richer in both its imagination and its menagerie of avian life.
Possibly sensing 鈥淢igration鈥� needed a little boost, a 鈥淒espicable Me鈥� short is playing along with it: in which the Minions get a taste of zero gravity.
鈥淢igration鈥� is directed by the French filmmaker Benjamin Renner, who crafted the enchanting 2012 film 鈥淓rnest and Celestine鈥� with the delicacy of a cherished children鈥檚 book. That touch is harder to discern in 鈥淢igration.鈥� (For a truly magical French-made movie on the subject, seek out the 2001 documentary 鈥淲inged Migration.鈥�)
But considering migration today is a word so often accompanied by crisis, there鈥檚 pleasant enough diversion in Renner鈥檚 film. Like Illumination's the movie's most abundant resource is its lush sense of color. Though that鈥檚 not enough to turn the tide on the long-running debate, the superb plumage of 鈥淢igration鈥� makes for fine bird watching.
鈥淢颈驳谤补迟颈辞苍,鈥� a Universal release in theaters Dec. 22, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for action/peril and mild rude humor. Running time: 92 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
