Animation feature film “Migration” is not as bad as I feared, but it is also not as good as I wished. As many of reviewers have pointed out, last year was a curiously weak year for animation films without much to remember, and “Migration” only reminded me of that again although occasionally amusing me at times. Happening to sit alone in the middle of the big Dolby screening room, I did chuckle several times for its silly gags and jokes, but I also noticed how shallow and predictable it is in terms of story and character.

As your typical entertainment for family audiences, the movie is about a mallard family who has resided near some rural pond for years. Quite anxiously protective about his kids, Mack (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) often warns them about any possible danger outside their little world, but his kids are eager to explore the outside world someday, and the same thing can be said about Mack’s loving wife Pam (voiced by Elizabeth Banks).

On one day, a bunch of migrating birds happen to drop by Mack and his family’s pond. After meeting a young member of the bunch, Mack’s son becomes interested in going to a certain tropical place where these migrating birds are heading, and, of course, Mack objects to his son’s wish, but, not so surprisingly, he eventually comes to change his mind because, well, he also does not like to be stuck in their place for the rest of his life.

As Mack and his family members fly high toward the sky, the mood becomes a bit more exciting than before, and the film surely provides some entertaining moments to enjoy. The score by John Powell, who is no stranger to the excitement of flying as shown from his great scores for “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010) and the following two sequels, naturally soars along with the avian main characters of the film, and that makes us ready for more adventures to come for Mack and his family.

However, alas, what we get is a series of broad comic episodic moments which do not bring much substance to the main narrative. At one point early in the film, Mack and his family happen to stay at a swampy residence belonging to an aging heron couple who may have an insidious motive behind their back, and this will only take you back to the memories of that weird heron figure in Hayao Miyazaki’s recent animation film “The Boy and the Heron” (2023). Although I am not so enthusiastic about “The Boy and the Heron” unlike many others, I must point out that the heron figure and a bunch of big parakeets in “The Boy and the Heron” are much more interesting and memorable compared to any avian character in “Migration”, and, to be frank with you, now I am more willing to recommend it more than before.

Around the middle of the story, Mack and his family fly into a huge city which is apparently New York City. Feeling quite lost in the middle of this big city, they certainly need somebody who can help them going to their final destination, and this avian figure turns out to be a tropical bird which has been caged by some nasty local chef. As Mack and his family attempt to help this tropical bird’s escape, we get a busy action sequence where Mack and his wife must evade many dangers in front of them, but you will not be amused or surprised that much as observing how flat and predictable this sequence is in one way or another. While the main villain of the story surely looks mean, this evil dude, who incidentally does not speak at all, is not as funny or vicious as that wordlessly despicable villain of “Shaun the Sheep Movie” (2015), and he is no more than a mere plot device just like the little conflict between Mack and his son along the story.

Anyway, the main cast members of the film try their best with their respective parts, although their considerable talents are not utilized well on the whole. Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks are good comic performers who can bring some humor and personality to their characters, but there is not much chemistry between their voice performances mainly due to their rather colorless characters. In case of several notable voice cast members including Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina, Carol Kane, and Danny DeVito, they have some little fun with their more colorful roles, but they are also often limited by thin characterization, and DeVito is particularly wasted as only demanded to sound grumpy or goofy throughout the film.

In conclusion, “Migration”, directed by Benjamin Renner, is not a total waste of time at all, but its short running time (83 minutes) merely passed by during my viewing without much impression left in the end. At least, its technical aspects are not bad at all, and I enjoyed its bright color scheme which was vividly shown to me in the Dolby screening room, but good animation films need much more than that in my humble opinion.

Will young audiences enjoy “Migration”? They will probably enjoy it to some degree, but their young curious minds will eventually go for something really fresh and interesting. A few months ago, one of my colleagues told me that he and his young son watched “The Boy and the Heron” together, and, though they did not wholly get what exactly it is about, they had a pretty enthusiastic conversation about its themes and messages after watching it. That is what a good and interesting animation film can usually do, and I think you should watch “The Boy and the Heron” if you have to choose between it and “Migration”.