GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★ 
Rated: G
Directed by: Benjamin Renner
Screenplay by: Mike White
Produced by: Chris Meledandri
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell, Carol Kane, Casper Jennings, Tresi Gazal and Danny DeVito.
‘Just because you’re scared of everything in the world doesn’t mean I have to be,’ explains mother mallard Pam (Elizabeth Banks) to husband Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) AKA scared-of-everything, especially the dreaded herons that are known to eat mallards for breakfast.
Mack is happy, safe at the Pond: there’s food, family, everything they need.
There’s a montage of the mallard family spending time together, Mack and Pam showing their little ones, Dax (Casper Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal) the ways of pond life: swimming, hunting, frolicking about in the water.
Until a flock of migrating ducks arrive, ‘Welcome to the pond.’
Pam can’t help but be excited by the thought of seeing the world, of going somewhere exotic like Jamaca.
But Mack is not brave.
Then he finds Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) half buried in the mud on the shores of the pond. He may have fallen out of his perch. Again. He explains his life in the pond as safe and alone. ‘It’s perfect.’
Seeing Uncle Dan’s half buried form is all the motivation Mack needs to finally take the step to get out and see the world. To migrate.
Migration is a story about discovery; exploring the world, taking risks and growing.
It’s light-hearted and sweet; about family bonding, parents coming together, getting in sync to make it through the chaos of the world as the kids find their own feet.
There’s a lot of focus on the endearing webbed duck feet, or lack thereof – note peg-leg veteran leader of the pigeon gang of New York (Awkwafina).
So you get the humour – low impact, kid holiday friendly that took a while to take flight but add a non-verbal chief who specialises in duck l’orange ending up with a bandaged nose, there’s a few giggles to be had for parents as well as the kids.
I asked my nephew his favourite part of the film and he liked the little daughter duck Gwen (but not so much the yoga duck). He liked the storybook style introduction to the film, but I found the basic animation disconcerting, putting me in mind of an old fashioned cartoon style show that took a while to get over. I did however, relate to the crusty character, Uncle Dan.