Story
Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani) has lived his whole life in Moosehead Pond. Fearful of what lies beyond the tree line, he does his best to keep his wife Pam (Elizabeth Banks) and 2 ducklings Dax (Caspar Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal) content with their simple and uneventful life.
When an exotic flock of migrating birds lands in their pond on their way south, Dax and Pam are entranced by the stories they hear and very much want to join the flock as they make their way to Jamaica. At first Mack says no, but then Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) unknowingly helps him see things in a different light. Too late to join the others, the Mallard family decides to embrace adventure and head off on their own. Their inexperience leads them into New York City where they encounter a parrot called Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key) who, after being freed from the terrifying chef who has kept him captive for years, agrees to guide them to Jamaica.
The trip, however, is not as straightforward as it should be and a pit stop quickly turns into a rescue mission as the ragtag crew try to save countless birds from the cruel clutches of the very chef they thought they had just escaped. Will the Mallard family make it to Jamaica or will they perish in the process? And is the world really as scary as they first believed it to be?
Themes
Fear of the unknown; separation from a parent; animal cruelty
Violence
Migration has some violence. For example:
- Mack tells a story about psycho killers designed to eat ducklings.
- Two ducklings are shown squished and mangled.
- Dax and Gwen fight over berries.
- Dax roughly shoves Gwen under the water.
- A buzzing fly is killed and eaten by a heron.
- The Mallard family all nearly crash into a bridge. Uncle Dan gets stuck between 2 pipes.
- The family falls off a building into traffic, nearly hitting cars and getting hit by passing vans, trucks, buses, or people.
- Uncle Dan gets caught and tangled in a flag and falls into a park.
- Countless pigeons surround and attack Uncle Dan who is holding a sandwich.
- The ducks kick at the pigeons.
- A pigeon is hit by a bus, then by a truck and then run over by a scooter.
- A chef is described as a predator – ‘Someone who will feed you to a much lazier group of predators’.
- A chef smashes a plate out of a waiter’s hand.
- Ducks are cooked and others are about to be cooked.
- Pam and Mack are nearly attacked with cleavers and frying pans as they try to escape a kitchen.
- Oranges fly through the air, dishes break and Pam and Mack are kicked with human feet as they try to escape a dance floor.
- Mack’s family jumps on his stomach after he swallows a key.
- Mack slams into a chef after inhaling air from a balloon.
- Mack is repeatedly slammed in the face with a shovel.
- A chef steps on Dax and damages his wings before pinning him down with a 2 pronged fork.
- A chef is about to use a butchers knife on the ducks when a bunch of birds begin to escape.
- A chef shoves a man and woman down.
- Pam and Mack are grabbed by the necks and shoved into a metal cage.
- Pam bites the chef on the nose and Delroy throws tomatoes at him.
- All the birds begin to throw food at the chef, loading Uncle Dan’s beak and using him like a gun. They then shoot a large pumpkin into his face.
- Pam and Mack fall out of the aircraft, still in a cage. They hold on to each other, waiting for impact. Their ducklings free them while the rest of the birds break from their cage and fly out of the aircraft, slapping the chef in the face with their wings as they leave. The chef is shown, battered and bruised, while dangling upside down from a net.
Sexual references
Migration has some sexual references. For example:
- Gwen says to Dax, in relation to a female duck, ‘I am so sorry you can’t have babies with her’.
- Gwen later tells the same duck that, ‘Dax kept saying your name while he was sleeping’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no substance use in Migration.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Migration.
Product placement
There’s no product placement in Migration.
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in this movie, including ‘heck’ and ‘bustin’ your bills’. Name calling and insults include ‘you feathery wart!’, ‘trashy, trashy vermin!’, ‘chump’, ‘stupid’ and ‘country bumpkins’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Migration is an animated adventure, featuring a charming cast of characters and a fast paced, albeit predictable, plot. This is a family movie that can be enjoyed by all but the youngest of viewers.
These are the main messages from Migration:
- Try to be optimistic, even when things look hopeless.
- Face your fears, instead of being bound by them.
- Take risks that allow you to experience life, instead of letting it simply pass you by.
Values in Migration that you could reinforce with your children include bravery, loyalty, helpfulness, compassion, and trust.
Migration could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like these:
- Not obeying your parents when they ask you to do something.
- Allowing your fear to determine how you live your life.
- Believing the stories you hear instead of learning what is true for yourself.