Migration

A very pleasant surprise that took my breath away. I like animated films with animals the most and I honestly didn't expect much from this one, but I'm even more surprised what a hit Migration turned out to be. Honestly Universal and Netflix are knocking it out of the park and kicking the ass of Disney and Pixar, who both suck lately. Migration doesn't have revolutionary visuals and plot-wise it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it features a very likeable duck family that decides to leave the nest for the first time in their lives and emigrate to Jamaica specifically, having wild and unseen adventures along the way. So yes, even though it's only about getting from point A to point B and also about parent-child education, I didn't mind that at all because the humour is awesome. I really don't remember when I've laughed as hard at an animated movie as I did here and to my surprise it's also pretty suspenseful – the scene with the heron is actually pretty creepy, it might scare the kids, and the kitchen heist has a bombastic build-up. After the arrival of the parrot (Keegan Michael Key) my excitement increased even more and the duck paradise with meditation, water slides and massages was a nice touch. Very funny, enjoyable, beautiful and touching. 8/10. (07/02/2024)

At its core, Migration doesn't tell a particularly original story - themes like the importance of family and the lessons of wandering are central - and relies on largely prototypical characters. Despite this, I really enjoyed watching it, and this was mainly due to the humour, which has the potential to appeal to both younger and older audiences. Apart from the central line with the duck family, I enjoyed the inclusion of smaller episodes in the form of encounters with other members of the bird kingdom – I had a royal laugh during the scene with the gerontosaur herons. The main villain was, er, odd, but I definitely appreciated that she didn't talk. A low-key, sweet and humorous surprise! (31/01/2024)