REVIEW Migration Film: The difference between an adult and a child watching the same movie

I love going to the cinema. Despite reports that thanks to streaming platforms cinemas are on the decline there is still something special about watching a movie on the big screen. I recently decided to treat my five-year-old son to a very special trip to The Everyman cinema to watch the new Migration film from the creators of Despicable Me and the Minion movies. 

When it comes to animation films there have been a fair few that have been released as a kids film but actually the parents/adults love them too. Pixar’s Toy Story are classics as well as Disney’s Inside Out and Elemental. Great films for all the family to enjoy. To say I had high expectations for the film goes without saying. 

The Illumination film Migration follows a family of mallards. Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is an adventure-loathing duck who does not intend to leave his New England pond any time soon. However, he is convinced by his more adventurous wife, Pam (Elizabeth Banks), to head south for the winter. The two ducks, along with their two kids Dax and Gwen and Mack's Uncle Dan (Danny De Vito), do just that.

The film starts off well with a nice family of ducks living on a beautiful pond surrounded by green trees and mountains but as soon as they decide to head off on adventure things turn a little dark. After getting stuck in a storm They meet a heron who wants to help the family but appears to want to eat them. There is a moment of fear and peril but turns out the heron is actually looking out for them. 

Later on when the family reach New York City there is a scene where the family sees a duck being cooked in a restaurant covered in orange sauce (duck a l'orange). I may be getting sensitive to death and comments like ‘we’re going to die’ as I get older but I really don’t want my five-year old to hear stuff like this in a movie. I thought the best part of the movie was hearing a salsa version of Destiny Child’s hit Survivor. 

Speaking of said child he on the other hand thought the film was the best movie ever. He laughed his way through most of it, hardly touching the popcorn I’d just bought him, and was completely engrossed in the movie all the way through. The death and fear I felt so sensitive about completely went over his head and all he cared about was the cute little duck family in their big adventure. 

Overall the film was OK. There were a few moments I laughed out loud but if you compare it to Pixar or Disney animation films you may feel let down. Of course if your kid loves it and has a great time then really that’s all that matters. 

Despite me giving the film a poor review and my kid giving it a clear 10 out of 10. Rotten Tomatoes has an audience rating of 88% and four and five stars. It is clearly a kids' film so take them to watch it at the cinema as they will enjoy way more than you will. 

Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about celebrities, fashion and beauty you can follow Natalie on X (Twitter) here.