Migration Trailer: Illumination Animation Brings Us Ducks On Vacation

The next potential animated hit from "Minions" studio Illumination has debuted its first teaser trailer. Meet "Migration," a film that focuses on (you guessed it) bird migration. According to the synopsis, the story follows "a family of ducks living in New England who try to convince their overprotective father to go on a vacation of a lifetime in the Bahamas." 

Illumination made waves as an animation studio after releasing its first feature, "Despicable Me," alongside Universal Pictures. The film went on to spawn a franchise, including two "Despicable Me" sequels with another on the way and two spin-off films centering the weirdly lovable "Despicable Me" characters known as Minions. Illumination has also found success with its "The Secret Life of Pets" and "Sing" franchises, cementing its status within the world of children's animation that was previously dominated by Disney and Pixar almost exclusively.

"Migration" was directed by Benjamin Renner from a screenplay by "School of Rock" brain Mike White, who has really blown up since the debut of his HBO series "The White Lotus" in 2021. Chris Meledandri, the founder of Illumination, is producing the film. Check out the trailer below!

In June 2022, Universal moved "Migration" from a summer 2023 release date to the winter holidays. Considering the film's premise, it feels like a bit of a strange move, but it's not the worst tactic in the world to play on your audience's craving of summer in the middle of winter.

December is going to be a happening month of releases, especially when it comes to big budget studio entries. Prior to the "Migration" holiday season switch-up, Sony announced that its "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" sequel will have a December 20, 2023 release date. From Warner Bros. Pictures, we can look forward to "Wonka," a prequel to Roald Dahl's twice-adapted children's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which will be a musical starring Timothée Chalamet as the titular character.

Prior to the "Migration," Illumination will debut its take on a beloved video game franchise with "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" — and aside from the not-so-great decision to use Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario, the movie looks like it will be a fun exploration of the Mushroom Kingdom. Illumination has proven itself to be a studio that can do children's animation well in a way that even parents tend to get amusement out of. With the premise and team behind "Migration," I get the feeling this film is going to be another major feather in Illumination's cap.

"Migration" will arrive in theaters on December 23, 2023.