Studio: Universal
Release Date: 2/27/2024
Rating: PG
Film Grade: C
The Story: Mack lives in constant fear of what exists outside of the pond. As patriarch of the Mallard family, he tries protecting his children by telling them terrifying tales of the fate that awaits them should they ever stray. Mother Pam has her own curious view of the world and offers them a much brighter outlook of what could be out there.
As fall sets in, the pond is visited by a flock of migrating ducks. Son, Dax, is smitten by one of them and tells Mack that they should join them. Mack will have nothing of it and insists that they stay in their safe confines. However, an awakening glimpse of his future through a view of his uncle’s stagnant life causes him to rethink it all. The next morning, he surprises his family by announcing that the Mallard family would be migrating after all, into the wild, wild world beyond the pond.
My Take: In 2010 Illumination presented Gru and his minions to the world in their debut feature, Despicable Me. Filled with material for both children and adults, it was filled with silly gags, absurd plot points, balanced with genuine emotion and heart.
Their movies since then have been a mixed bag, with the other Despicable Me and Minions movies floating to the top of the scale, while other efforts, such as The Lorax and The Secret Life of Pets, feeling bland and generic. Migration lands toward the lower end of this scale.
The plot feels like a series of vignettes strung together without a central theme or narrative. Side quests and encounters feel random and aren’t given the chance to fully develop. Gags are obvious, stale, and infrequent. The movie seems to be aimed toward children, with a lack of jokes for older audience members.
The voice acting is fine, if not outstanding. Kumail Nanjiani voices Mack with a neurotic anxiety that fits the character well. Elizabeth Banks adds sunshine and spirit to her role as Pam. Danny DeVito plays Danny DeVito, err, I mean Uncle Dan in a role that fits the actor in a predictable way, wasting his talent.
Video: The picture quality is fantastic on a technical level. Flight scenes have a 3D feel to them. Feathers are remarkably rich and detailed. Scenes set in nature have a watercolor feel to them, with a warmth that glows in radiant sunlight. There’s a particularly creepy part of the movie that is dark but clear, creating a menacing feel with the use of light, shadow, and color. In contrast to the natural world, city environments come close to photo-realistic in some scenes. While they’re all effectively rendered, the disjointed style doesn’t exactly help hold the film together.
Audio: The Atmos mix is an odd duck. Tops and side speakers are used extensively, although strangely. I’d estimate 90% of it was devoted to the musical score, with various instruments highlighted from time to time. The result was effectively immersive and lively. The next greatest use was for dialog, with voices passing by as characters soared from place to place. It was a good use of the technology, but only used sparingly. There are a few instances of objects, but far too few. Opportunities for swooshing sounds as the birds dart through the air abound, but unused. A helicopter is part of the story, but even when overhead the rotors aren’t heard in the top speakers.
Special Features: The disc is loaded! The three shorts are mildly interesting. There are some make-along activities that kids might get a kick out of, while the making-of segments are largely of the fluffy variety.
- Three Animated Shorts: Fly Hard, Mooned, and Midnight Mission
- Microphone Madness
- Meet the Cast
- Taking Flight: The Making Of
- The Art of Flight
- The Sound of Flight
- How to Draw
- Build Your Own Pop-Up Book
- Calling All Birds
- Best Nests
Final Verdict: The TV commercials that aired before it’s theatrical release didn’t stir much interest for me, but I hoped that the full feature might have been good. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me in the Illumination catalog. Even at a short 83-minute run time, the movie drags to its simplistic and underwhelming conclusion. The clever gags featured in their better stories are missing here, replaced by obvious and unsatisfying bits.
My wife thought it was cute, but clearly aimed at children with a lack of depth or winks aimed at adults. Neither of us thought it would be worth repeat viewings.
Inoffensive, but underwhelming, it may be a satisfying watch for young children. The trailer serves as a good litmus test for this movie.
Fun Fact: The lighting in the aforementioned creepy scene was inspired by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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