“What sort of father would I be if I put my young fowl in harm’s way for no reason except a chance at a Caribbean vacation?” From Benjamin Renner, the co-director of the charming Academy Award-nominated “Ernest and Celestine,” comes the animated family comedy “Migration.” Produced by the computer animation studio Illumination (“Despicable Me,” “Sing,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”), “Migration” follows a family of ducks as they take the ultimate road trip. The Mallard family is headed by an anxious father (Kumail Nanjiani), who, though convinced of the safety of their small pond, is talked into a family vacation to Jamaica via New York City. Complications arise when they become stranded in the Big Apple. The animated comedy features a bevy of celebrity voices, including Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, and Danny DeVito (David Mitchell, Carol Kane, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal round out the voice cast). Though the trailer moves with the feeling of a children’s book, “Migration” is an original screenplay from Mike White, the creator of “The White Lotus” and screenwriter of “School of Rock.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
The Mallard family is in a bit of a rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.
As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends, and accomplish more than they ever thought possible while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined.
“Migration” will be released in movie theaters on December 22. Watch the new trailer below, and oh yeah, it features a Taylor Swift song (“Out Of The Woods”), which must have been a nice but pricey get.