Migration RealD 3D Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Migration is a 2023 animated feature about a group of mallards that decide to flock south to Jamaica for the winter. Man, when doing these movie reviews, I usually try to reserve an entire paragraph for the synopsis. But here, the whole premise can be summed up on a napkin. I guess I'll just waste no more time and get to the point then.

Migration is the latest on a long line of Illumination movies and one on an even longer line made up of a sub-genre of animated films my brother would like to call "babysitter movies." Those of us with siblings or children in the single-digits are probably more than familiar with these types of features. Their stories are pretty base-level, they have cutesy colorful designs that keep the kids attention, they can get out an occasion giggle, and if it were a child you met briefly at your kid's soccer game, the most you could probably think to say about them would be something along the lines of "he seems nice." That's pretty much my feelings for Migration in a nutshell. There's nothing here that'll offend you or your children's time, but there's not much worthwhile to write home about either.

It devoid of strengths? No. The biggest one of course, is the animation which Illumination has been getting progressively more and more detailed with, yet they can still get away with some cartoony designs that look like they came from something hand-drawn and capture everyone's exaggerated personalities perfectly. It's a nice balancing act that I think gets overlooked quite a bit in the animation industry. Another win for the film is its guts to go with an original premise not based on anything else. I know it seems a bit much to be praising a film solely on that, but that really speaks a mouthful about the unfortunate state we live in. We live in such a strange time where Hollywood pumps out sequel after sequel after remake and people are always complain about it. But at the same time, no one's seeing the original stuff. So when someone's brand new idea is lucky enough to make it through the pitching stage, I try to give it some amount of due respect.

That being said, while Migration's premise is indeed original, almost everything else seems reminiscent of most "babysitter movies" past. The character arcs are that we've seen plenty of times before, the personalities and character choices are predictable, and many of the jokes you can see coming from a mile away. This is one of those cases where if you've seen the trailer, you know exactly what you're in for. And while the plot itself does certainly go places, the lack of connection between events with no real themes to mention does make the experience little more than semi-engaging for the adults. There are a few bright spots in it, though. Danny Devito is a welcome edition to the voice cast who does the best with what he has. I was honestly quite concerned with Awkwafina voicing a bird in this film after watching her do the same thing in The Little Mermaid where she brought us some of the most unbearable singing known to man. But thankfully here, she was actually pretty fun and even got a couple chuckles out of me, and her screen time fortunately ran only about 20 minutes so she couldn't be considered a net loss. And every once in a while, there'll be a good enough joke worthy of a mild chuckle.

That's about as much there is to talk about with Migration, though. Will it entertain the kids? I reckon so. I didn't hear much squirming from the children behind me (mainly cause there wasn't a huge enough audience to begin with) so I think they got their fair share of fun. However, I wouldn't really suggest any adults to go out of their way to see it. It won't cause parents any sort of pain if they choose to take their kids to it this Christmas season. But if you're asking me, I'd say just see Wonka instead.

OVERALL FILM RATING: 3/5

3D REVIEW

Illumination films always have great 3D. Migration is an Illumination movie. Therefore, Migration has great 3D.

Okay, I know that kinda oversimplifies things. But the 3D really is good, and for a lot of pretty simple reasons. A lot like with The Grinch and Despicable Me, the levels of depth in-screen this film can reach are astounding. The movie puts you down at the duck's level, so simple things like trees in a forest, buildings in a city, and crowds of people look huge and sometimes, far away. This kind of perspective lends its way to plenty of interesting views throughout and it especially comes into play during the flight sequences when you can stare down off into the horizon or down at the ground far beneath you. And even in the slower moments, the ducks themselves have quite a bit to offer 3D-ready eyes with bills that protrude the screen and necks that go back into it (the shots can sometimes remind me of 3D shots of Mr. Ping from the Kung Fu Panda movies).

But of course, Illumination doesn't just have 3D to make the film look nice, it also has quite a bit of fun with it. The flight sequences are cool, as I've mentioned before. But there's also a few neat shots of reflections whether in the water or in building windows. There are flocks of birds, in the air and on the ground, tracking shots through the sky and the city, and good composition with cages in a few scenes. There's a 2D animated story opening where everyone looks like a cardboard cutout that makes for a fun view. And sometimes, the cutouts can be turned diagonally so they can pop out.

Speaking of pop outs, we get quite a few of them. Many of them land on the more subtle side of things such as with the mallards bills or parts of the surrounding environments. But there are some fun ones involving birds entering your personal face, clouds rolling towards you, and even a raven with a long beak. There is one notable pop out in particular, though, involving a carving fork that actually made me flinch. That scene alone was worth the price of 3D admission.

Migration is yet another 3D tour de force from the people at Illumination, once again showing off how well the third dimension works with the medium of animation. While it's presentation isn't quite as memorable as either of the Despicable Me movies, it's still far from a bad one. It provides good, realistic looking depth and a few great scenes of 3D fun. What's not to love?

3D RATING: GREAT

OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D

Real Future Pictures's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAvvjpnSD3Q (0:09-9:13)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Migration is probably not the first family film I'd recommend to parents looking to kill an hour and a half with their kids, but it's certainly not the last. It's a pretty average middle-of-the-road kids flick that'll give children a cute time with some cute characters with an alright enough storyline and some predictable but ultimately harmless humor. While your average joe might want to check out something else at the theater, people with kids on their hands could certainly do far worse. And if you're one of the latter folks, do yourself a favor and flesh out a few extra dollars to see it in 3D. You'll certainly want to get the most out of Migration's visual aspects, of which it has much to offer. What can I say? It's got great depth, great pop outs, and it will give you a great time. So grab a pair of glasses and enjoy yourself, 3D-wise that is.

"MOONED" REVIEW

I almost forgot to mention, Migration is preceded by a short called Mooned which follows Vector immediately after the events of Despicable Me trying to get off the moon. The short itself is quite enjoyable. We haven't checked up on Vector in quite some time and he's always a delight to see onscreen, even if not at his personal best. There's some fun slapstick gags involving him and the minions and it ends on a funny note. I can't find anything to really dislike about this short. If anything, its presence makes a ticket for this film a must-have for any Despicable Me fan like myself.

3D-wise, of course the depth is up to snuff. The stars and the earth go off far in the sky, and there's some fun 3D views of everything from holograms, rockets, flying objects, Vector, and even a tunnel of light. Some of those objects pop out in a gimmicky fashion and some go far back into it. A lot like the movie that follows, 3D isn't required for the short. But it sure makes a fun addition to it.

SHORT RATING: 3.5/5

3D RATING: GREAT