Migration is flighty fun but fails to soar
Migration (PG)
92 minutes, now showing
2.5 stars
A family of Mallards have never left their New England pond, largely due to their overly cautious dad Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) who is afraid of the potential dangers that await them in the outside world.
Wait, that sounds familiar. If the overprotective dad from Disney and Pixar's Finding Nemo (2003) comes to mind, you're not alone. However, Illumination Studios' Migration lacks the former's depth in storytelling.
The family of ducks consists of Mack, adventurous mum Pam (Elizabeth Banks), teen son Dax (Caspar Jennings) and the cutie of the family, daughter Gwen (Tresi Gazal). Oh yes, there's grumpy old Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) too.
When another family of ducks lands in their pond for a pit stop on their annual migratory journey to Jamaica, the rest of the family persuades Mack to get out of his comfort zone and fly to the Caribbean themselves.
It doesn't take much to change Mack's mind and then they're off. Unsurprisingly, they get lost and end up in the middle of New York City where they encounter a gang of pigeons led by Chump (Awkwafina).
Chump links them up with a Jamaican parrot named Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key) who can guide them down South but there's only one problem: He's caged up inside a Manhattan restaurant as the pet of its owner and head chef.
The restaurant's speciality? Duck l'orange.
They are then hunted down by the chef who (conveniently) happens to have his very own private helicopter to aid him in his chase.
What follows is pretty predictable but perhaps best enjoyed by younger audiences. The movie is bright and colourful and has beautiful flying sequences. Fortunately, it also has a brief running time.
Despite its star-studded cast, the movie fails to be memorable.
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