Animated Family Ducks Soar in Illumination’s First ‘Migration’ Trailer

As Minions studio Illumination Entertainment and Universal look to the launch The Super Mario Bros. Movie as their first blockbuster of 2023, the studios have released a first-look trailer for the new animated family ducks franchise pic Migration.

The teaser, to play just before The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens on 4,000 cinema screens in North America and across 60 markets overseas, spends much time recalling Illumination blockbuster animation franchises like Despicable Me, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets.

The trailer turns to Illumination’s animated family of talking ducks led by an overprotective father as they set off on a vacation of a lifetime.

“Let’s fly,” the father says in the trailer as the family of ducks soars skywards, gleefully twisting and rolling as light as a feather on the wind as they migrate south over mountains and lakes. But driving rain soon grounds the flock of ducks, and leaves the family huddled in a tree trunk for shelter amid thunderous lightening.

“We’re not going to make it,” an uncle Dan character utters before a long-legged creature, another bird, appears on the scene to ramp up the drama.

There’s no word on the voice cast for the feathered family vacation pic, which Universal will release in theaters on Dec. 22, 2023 as part of a distribution deal with Illumination. Benjamin Renner directed Migrationwith the computer-generated animated movie based on a screeplay by Mike White (The White Lotus).

Illumination projects, including the Despicable Me franchise, have grossed more than $8 billion globally. The Super Mario Bros. Movievoice starring Chris Pratt, is due in theaters this weekend from April 7. The studio’s most recent project, Minions: The Rise of Grugrossed $364 million globally.