Film Review

Migration (2023) — a fun, feathery road trip flick

A family of ducks try to convince their overprotective father to go on the vacation of a lifetime.

The road movie. Done to death a million times over — with family vacations (National Lampoon’s Vacation), fake families (We’re the Millers), coming-of-age sagas (Stand By Me), fantasy epics (The Lord of the Rings), even descents into madness (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) — the central idea’s always the same: a ragtag bunch hits the road, emerging better for it. A winning formula, sure, but new road movies face stiff competition from their predecessors. They need to stand out. A killer cast, breathtaking locations, or a clever twist can do the trick. Migration throws in a curveball: a family of quirky ducks. Not the biggest shake-up, but animation powerhouse Illumination has a knack for making anything work (even singing pigs). So, do these waterfowl fly high or just flutter about?

Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is a nervous duck. He’s lived in one pond all his life, never questioning it. Why fix what ain’t broke, after all? But when a flock of ducks en route to Jamaica…