Apr 5, 2023

Illumination has released the first teaser video for its next film, "Migration," which will be released in theaters this holiday season.

Illumination has released the first teaser for the animated family feature "Migration," scheduled for release on December 22, 2023.

"Migration" is directed by Benjamin Renner of the French feature films "Ernest & Celestine" and "The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales". The original screenplay for the film was written by Mike White of "School of Rock" and "The White Lotus" and produced by Illumination boss Chris Meledandri.

"Migration" has previously been described as a contemporary comedy about a family of ducks who convince their overprotective father to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip south for the winter, from New England to the Bahamas via New York.

While this is all we know about the film's plot, the trailer's short animation is as sharp as one would expect from Illuminations, and the jokes and gags are all successful enough.

The teaser is just under two minutes long, with the first 60 seconds devoted to a look back at Illumination's impressive catalog of animation. The studio understands the difficulties of launching a new IP, and seems to be leaning more strongly on its past work than on the merits of its newer releases. This is a smart strategy, especially considering the phenomenal box office success of the franchise that appeared in the first half of the teaser. Many people may also be unaware that the "Despicable Me," "Sing," and "Secret Life of Pets" franchises are all from the same company.

When "Migration" hits theaters this holiday season, it will be the first time since 2016 that Illumination will release two movies in the same year ("Secret Life of Pets" and "Sing"), and only the second time in company history. With "The Super Mario Brothers Movie" on track to be a box office success, a strong theatrical release of "Migration" would further solidify Illumination's position as the most successful U.S. animation feature studio in years.