Migration - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Migration



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
While Illumination Studios may really be known for their Despicable Me and Minions films they have a long history of pumping out reasonable content for family animated viewing, with Migration being this years “under the radar but still fun” family flick. I’m going to fully admit that I think we’re sort of spoiled in the last 20 years. When I grew up animated flicks were few and far between, with GOOD animated flicks being fewer and even further between than that, with most of the good ones belonging to Disney and the fledgling Pixar studios (though Dreamworks had some decent production back I the 90s). Nowadays animated films are a dime a dozen and nearly all of them showcase reference level audio and video. Plus movies that would have been deemed good to great 20+ years ago are new “meh” middling works as we’ve had some really AMAZING films sort of raise the bar for audiences. In the same vein, I think that Migration would have been much more readily received by audiences if it was release in the early 2000s rather than in 2024 as it is a solid performer, just not something that will shock and awe audiences like Wreck it Ralph etc.

The film opens with the mallard Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) regaling his children with a Grimm’s fairytale sort of bedtime stories, infused with his own particular fears and terrifying consequences in order to teach his young hatchlings that it’s best to stay safe at home rather than venture out, much to the chagrin of his mate Pam (Elizabeth). However, when a group of visiting ducks put a seed of doubt in his children’s mind, Mack decides to head out and migrate like the rest of the flock, despite his crippling fear of the unknown. Along the way the family of mallards encounter some pigeons, a captured Macaw, and a maniacal french chef who wants to turn them all into Duck a la orange.

There’s not a whole lot of depth to Migration, but it hits the typical highlights you’d expect from the description. The first half of the film deals with Mack and his paranoia about the unknown, complete with running INTO the unknown, while the second half deals with his newfound determination to not only rescue his family, but put his life on the line for others who are also going to be eaten in a tasty la orange sauce. Thankfully the film doesn’t get too complicated and really isn’t about the journey of Mack and his family at all. It’s much more episodic and focuses on the characters themselves having mini adventures in a feature length film. Sticking to the basics, Migration doesn’t stretch its wings too much, but sticks to the basics of adventure story lines and generally succeeds on every level.

Filled with a colorful cast and fun voice acting, Migration is a solid mid tier performer from beginning to end. I’ve always loved Kumail Nanjiani in his animated and indie roles vs. his mega blockbusters (whoever thought of putting him in The Eternals still boggles my mind) and he’s given a lot of range to just have fun with the neurotic duck. Danny DeVito also adds some fun flavor as the cooky uncle Dan while Elizabeth Banks does her normal “ok that was decent” voice acting that she’s done for the better part of a decade. My biggest fear was having Awkwafina in the film, but she’s surprisingly toned down from her normal voice acting roles, and thankfully doesn’t sing (her singing in The Little Mermaid traumatized an entire generation).




Rating:

Rated PG for action/peril and mild rude humor.




4K Video: Video:

Migration looks great in 1080p, but the 4K 2160p encode for the UHD disc is just amazing. Pure picture perfect from the digital tap, Migration manages to make one of the best looking animated 4K discs of the last 10 years in my humble opinion. Filled with a rich array of colors ranging from the autumn ambers/yellows of the pond to full on brightly light cityscapes, the film is just a cornucopia of visual aesthetics and richly saturated highlights. The Dolby Vision really enhances the film more than most, as the colorful aesthetics lend itself towards eye “popping” visual effects and even deeper saturated colors than the 1080p disc. Black levels are absolutely absurd with how deep and inky they are without any signs of major crush or banding whatsoever (I think I noticed a flicker here and there, but even then I wondered if I was simply seeing things). Fine details are amazing, with a rich robust amount of digital detail that is much more nuanced than I was expecting for a lower budget film like this. You can actually see the light and fluffy textures of the pigeon’s under layer, as well as more sleek and sharp lines with the duck feathers. Water is so incredibly hard to do properly in the animated world, and it’s done PERFECT here. This probably has the most natural looking water effects that I’ve seen since the first The Croods film came out. All in all, this is a razor sharp production that maximizes the 4K resolution with high quality CGI. Absolute demo worthy stuff right here from Universal.








Audio:

With how amazing the video quality was, and considering that Universal doesn’t create Atmouse tracks in general, I was a little surprised at how laid back and staid the Atmos track (found on both the Blu-ray and 4K UHD) was in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, this was not a hammered down and flat lined Atmous track from the 2019-2021 era, but it’s just not as punchy and forward heavy as I was expecting. The track is a solid mid performer with good vocalizations in the front of the room, and decent surround activity (especially when they’re on the plane with the chef, or entering the big city for the first time). But the bass is rather soft by comparison, and the surrounds (while nice) aren’t really standout. Overheads are used rather sparingly and the dynamic range is a bit cramped. It’s still nice, with some very satisfying moments, but Universal just didn’t push this one as hard as I would have hoped for.













Extras:

• FLY HARD (MINI-MOVIE) - Chump sheds her tough-as-nails attitude, risking her life to fly through a blizzard and the harrowing streets of New York to return a prized possession to a kind woman from the park.
• MOONED (MINI-MOVIE) - Following the events of DESPICABLE ME, Vector and a lost Minion are stranded on the moon, and struggle to get back to Earth.
• MIDNIGHT MISSION (MINI-MOVIE) - The Minions will try anything to help Agnes overcome her fear of the dark, even if it involves going into outer space.
• MICROPHONE MADNESS - A fun look behind-the-scenes as the cast record some of their silliest lines.
• MEET THE CAST - In this series of behind-the-scenes pieces, we learn more about our favorite characters and the legendary comedic voices behind them.
-- KUMAIL NANJIANI: MACK
-- ELIZABETH BANKS: PAM
-- KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY: DELROY
-- AWKWAFINA: CHUMP
-- DANNY DEVITO: UNCLE DAN
-- CAROL KANE: ERIN
-- CASPAR JENNINGS: DAX & TRESI GAZAL: GWEN
• TAKING FLIGHT: THE MAKING OF - MIGRATION is an original script so brand-new characters and locations had to be developed, designed, and animated from scratch! Here, filmmakers and crew break down their process to show us what gives this film an entirely new look and feel.
• THE ART OF FLIGHT - Using a series of production phases from storyboards to pre-viz, we peel back the feathers and reveal just what goes in to creating the avian heroes of the film.
• THE SOUND OF FLIGHT - Take a closer look at the music of MIGRATION as Composer John Powell walks us through his scoring journey.
-- HOW TO DRAW
-- MACK
-- DELROY
-- CHUMP
--GWEN
• BUILD YOUR OWN POP-UP BOOK - Daddy duck, Mack, likes to tell his two little ducklings some…overly imaginative bedtime stories. In this fun "How To" we'll show you how to create a pop-up book so you can tell your very own bedtime stories!
•
CALLING ALL BIRDS - They may not have cellphones, but you can call your web-footed friends anytime you want! In this fun How To, we'll teach you how to create and customize your very own set of colorful bird whistles.
-- THE MACK QUACK
-- THE HERON HONK
--THE CHUMP CHIRP
• BEST NESTS - You don't have to fly south –or anywhere –to find a perfect paradise for your feathered friends. Here we'll teach you how to make the best nest for your pet ducks, or anyone flying by, including a water feeder to keep them hydrated!
• NESTS
• WATER FEEDER

Final Score: ​

Migration isn’t going to be another Despicable Me or light off a series of films (most likely), but it serves as a very healthy and enjoyable animated kids flick that both children and adults can enjoy alike. The colorful cast is perky and upbeat, and the story has enough laughs and adventure to keep people of all ages engaged. The 4K UHD disc is stunning, with a killer video score that easily outclasses the Blu-ray, and a moderate Atmos track that I feel could have used a bit more punch to it. All in all, this is good for a fun watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Tresi Gazal, Casper Jennings, Isabele Merced, Danny Devito, Carol Kante, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key
Directed by: Benjamin Renner, Guylo Homsy
Written by: Mike White, Benjamin Renner
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, Spanish Dolby Digtial + 7.1
Sugtitles: English, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG
Runtime: 82 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 27th, 2024

Recommendation: Cute Watch

 

[Todd Anderson]

Looks like a fun watch. I love how dazzling these movies are to the eyes. Gonna pick this up