In theaters since Wednesday, “Migration” is the new feature film from Illumination studios, 8 months after “Super Mario Bros, the movie”. Discover five things to know about this cartoon to watch with the family.
What is it about ? The Colvert family is in the grip of a domestic dilemma. While Mack is totally content to wade with his family, peacefully and permanently, in their little New England pond, his wife Pam would be more the type to shake up this routine a little to show her children the rest of the world – Dax who is already no longer a duckling and his little sister Gwen. When, during their stopover, they welcome a family of migratory ducks, it is the perfect opportunity for Pam to persuade Mack to imitate them and embark on a family journey: to Jamaica, via New York. As they fly towards the sun for the winter, the Mallard’s well-laid plan will quickly fall apart. But the chaotic and unexpected turn of events will change them forever and teach them much more than they could have imagined.
The voice casting
Mack, the overprotective patriarch of the Colvert family, is voiced in the original version by the Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani, and in the French version by Pio Marmaï. The latter had already participated in the dubbing of an animated film with En avant from Pixar studios. As for Pam, the mother of the family as intrepid as she is smart, she is voiced by the actress (The Hit Girls) and director (Crazy Bear) Elizabeth Banks in VO and by Laure Calamy in VF.
On the younger side, Dax, the teenager of the clan, is voiced by Caspar Jennings in original version and Simon Faliu in French. Gwen, the adorable youngest of the family, as innocent as she is lovely, is voiced by Tresi Gazal in original version. In VF, it is Pia Gimenez Bonfils who lends her voice to the character.
Christophe Clovis / Bestimage Guylo Homsy (co-director), Pia Gimenez-Bonfils, Pio Marmaï, Dominique Frot, Benjamin Renner (co-director), Simon Faliu at the film premiere.
Around them, Awkwafina plays La Jug, the snooty leader of a gang of New York pigeons. In French, Olivia Dalric plays her. Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) is Erin, a heron who becomes the first of the friends the Mallards make along the way. In VF, it is Dominique Frot who dubs it.
Keegan-Michael Key takes on the plaintive accents of Delroy, a Jamaican parrot locked in a Manhattan restaurant and consumed by homesickness. In VF, it is the comedian Waly Dia who dubs it. Googoo, yogi guru from a mysterious breeding, is voiced by David Mitchell (VO) and Nicolas Marié (VF). The latter, Albert Dupontel’s favorite actor, is an important figure in dubbing: he is notably the voice of Tim Roth and that of Rupert Giles’ character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Finally, Dan, Mack’s grumpy uncle is voiced by Danny DeVito (VO) and Patrick Raynal (VF).
The unexpected meeting between “Despicable Me” and “Ernest and Célestine”
Migration is the new feature film from Illumination studios, to whom we owe Minions, Despicable Me, Like Beasts and All On Stage. Having become one of the leaders in the animated film industry, the company no longer has anything to prove, given the success of the aforementioned films. They entrusted the production of Migration to Frenchman Benjamin Renner, to whom we owe Ernest and Célestine and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales.
He was thus able to add an impressionist note hitherto completely new in the studio’s productions, as Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, explains: “He is able to express extremely touching moments in a unique way that is both funny and intelligent. His work is visually stunning but perhaps more importantly, his characters are inherently very sweet, and in the case of this film they allow us to discover the fascinating world of these migratory aquatic birds, the mallards.”
2023 Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
A first time in the United States
Migration is Benjamin Renner’s first feature film for a major American studio, and his first meeting with Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, was a mix of excitement and nervousness.
He remembers: “Before meeting Chris, I felt like I had to play a role, and pretend to be the confident director that Hollywood would expect. But to my surprise, Chris and I immediately connected on a deeper level We began to discuss shared emotions and experiences, and I felt a deep sense of trust in that moment. Working with Chris transformed into an exciting perspective and vision. common and the desire to have fun while making this film. What attracted me to the project was that we were talking about very concrete things.”
2023 Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
From the creator of The White Lotus
The film is written by Benjamin Renner and Mike White. The latter is notably the screenwriter of episodes of Dawson and Freaks & Geeks, and of the comedies Rock Academy and Pitch Perfect 3. But he is best known as the creator and author of the successful series The White Lotus, multi-awarded at the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes.
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The White Lotus, season 2
A family story
The character of Gwen, the youngest of the family, is dubbed in the original version by Tresi Gazal, for whom this is her first cinematic experience. She is the daughter of the editor of Migration, Christian Gazal, who says: “We initially needed a temporary voice for the character, and the advantage of using my daughter quickly became apparent. We could record her frequently, and at leisure, which made her interpretation more coherent and we allowed us to use it as the film progressed. We recorded it in our bedroom at home with a portable mic. Having it readily available for recording made it possible to fine-tune simply his performance, unlike the other actors who come for limited sessions.”
Migration, by Benjamin Renner and Guylo Homsy, in cinemas since December 6.