The Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t the only film on the 2023 Illumination roster. The animation studio’s next action-packed comedy is about a family of ducks, coming this holiday season.
If you’ve watched Despicable Me on loop, gotten swept up in the Minion madness alongside your tots, jammed along to the Sing soundtrack (in the car…alone), and semi-successfully dodged, what felt like, never-ending requests for a puppy after The Secret Life of Pets, then you’re an Illumination household.
And if you thought this powerhouse was going to lay low after the smashing success of their recent The Super Mario Bros. Movie, think again. The trailer for their new family feature film, Migration, just dropped, and let’s just say, we’re in for a full flight of roaring laughs, wholesome feels and stunning animation that’ll fill our hearts with wanderlust this holiday season.
Parents, get excited. We’re seeing another blockbuster hit on the horizon.
Everything We Know About the Migration Plot So Far
Our first impression is relief and joy that we’re still getting what we’ve come to expect and love from Illumination: jokes that moms and dads will enjoy, relatable characters (that may even make us question our own behavior), and an entertaining storyline that’s packed with valuable lessons—which stray from the signature patriarchal plot of a damsel in distress we grew up seeing as kids ourselves.
Migration follows the Mallards, a family of ducks who are eager to take flight and explore new horizons. There’s only thing in the way of mom Pam, teenage son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen from seeing the whole wide world: their overprotective father Mack.
For Mack, nothing could be better and safer than his flock paddling around their New England pond forever (helicopter parent vibes, am I right?). But once Pam catches wind that a local duck family traveled to far-flung places and had an epic journey, FOMO sets in. She convinces Mack into going on a family vacation they’ll never forget, like moms do so effortlessly.
From their New England home to New York City and then down south to tropical Jamaica, the Mallards experience all that comes with your typical family roadtrip, including mapped-out plans quickly going sideways, stepping out of your comfort zone, good ol’ family bonding, meeting new friends, and everything else in between.
Migration is Voiced by Actors You Know & Adore
Think you recognized anyone in the trailer?
The film is led by Oscar® and Emmy nominee Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Eternals) as the Mallards’ worry-wort dad Mack and Emmy nominee Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect franchises) as Pam, the bold and sharp matriarch.
Iconic Danny DeVito, the voice behind legendary animated characters that have defined most millennials’ childhoods, co-stars as Mack’s grumpy, unimpressed Uncle Dan. Don’t we all have one of those?
There’s no guesswork needed to pinpoint Awkwafina, whose recognizably deep, raspy octave is behind the scrappy leader of a New York City pigeon gang. The remaining cast includes the talent of Keegan-Michael Key who plays a homesick Jamaican parrot locked up in a Manhattan restaurant, and David Mitchell (Peep Show) as the yogic leader of a mysterious duck farm.
The Impressive Team Behind Migration
The White Lotus fans—and those of us who wanted to join a rock band after School of Rock—will be pleased to discover that Migration’s screenplay is written by renowned screenwriter Mike White. If that wasn’t enough to win us over, the film is also directed by Benjamin Renner who recently received an Oscar nomination for directing the critically-acclaimed French animated features Ernest & Celestine and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales.
Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri rounds out the team as the movie’s producer, well-known for his creative role in the studio’s smash hits.
Mark your calendars now for a movie-going family date night when Migration hits theaters on December 22, 2023. Until then, we’ll join our kids in constantly chanting Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches.
