Janiqueel takes a look at MIGRATION a movie about a family of ducks who take flight on a winged adventure far, far outside their comfort zone.

No matter how organized your ducks are, life can turn in two seconds. So, you can’t keep on waiting. Because if you keep on waiting, it’s gone.

Diem Brown

Start with a family of ducks. In many ways, they are a typical family. Typical, that is – if we remember that, after all is said and done – they are ducks. That said, the movie MIGRATION presents this family as ducks with a few (OK, many) twists and turns along the way. As they journey on a family vacation from the quiet, cosy, comfortable New England pond that is their home to exotic Jamaica, we glimpse how the family interacts with each other and with the unique characters they encounter along the way. 

Meet the family:

PAM –

The matriarch of the small insular family. With dreams of the world beyond the pond, she cajoles her mate to pack up the ducklings and take the trip of a lifetime to, of all places, the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica. Desperately seeking a more well-rounded life for her two kids …er, ducklings, she spends the first minutes of the film trying to persuade her mallard mate to spread his wings and open his imagination to the possibilities beyond the pond. Voiced by veteran actor, Elizabeth Banks who is herself a mother of two kids (not ducklings). “For me… I’m at that moment where I’m trying to push them out of the nest in a responsible way, where I want them to feel a greater sense of independence,” she told NBC Insider about her own family. “It’s frankly always a test of your parenting, you know. Have I taught them not to run into traffic? Have I done a good enough job where they can go be in the world and be safe on their own?” (www.romper.com)

MACK –

The reluctant patriarch is quite content to raise his daughter and son in the quiet pond far away from what he perceives as the many dangers beyond. He never wants to leave. As the film begins, he is regaling the ducklings on the risks that await in the big bad world. His scary tales include a hungry heron and other fantastic “monsters” who desire nothing so much as a tasty snack of ducklings. Mack is brought to life by actor, Kumail Nanjiani who believes his character “slowly became more anxious once he became a  – father. He’s found a way to suppress his essential nature … As he had kids, I think he slowly became more and more neurotic.” (www.romper.com)

DAX –

Full of confidence and pride, the teenage son. He has inherited his mother’s wanderlust and is not afraid to let it loose, if he can convince his father to let loose the parental reins, that is. 

GWEN –

Shy and adverse to thinking outside the pond, Gwen is much more like her father than her adventure-seeking mom. As the plot moves along, though, she shows great insights into the situation. As the going gets rough, Gwen finds a well of resources inside herself. She’s quietly brave, proving to be a valuable and plucky member of the migrating team.

UNCLE DAN –

As adverse to travel and adventure as Mack, Uncle Dan is a curmudgeonly character with a sarcastic remark for just about any situation. Voiced by Danny DeVito, he provides a clever wise-cracking, worldly-wise, New Jersey-esque counterweight to the plot. Kids will love his authentic voice. Eventually, he, like the other family members comes to realize the benefits of getting up and taking a chance on life.

A big part of the charm of Migration is watching the reactions of the main characters to new acquaintances and situations along the way. If you like ducks – and you will by the time the film ends (believe me), then you are in luck.

Enjoy!

Research and writing help from JKJ