This holiday season, Illumination, creators of the blockbuster Minions, Despicable Me, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets comedies, invites you to take flight into the thrill of the unknown with a funny, feathered family vacation like no other in the action-packed new original comedy, Migration.
The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.
As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined.
To celebrate the film migrating into theatres across the globe this holiday season, Peter Gray spoke with Elizabeth Banks and Kumail Nanjiani (Pam and Mack Mallard) and things got surprisingly emotional. Here they touch on finding the essence of their characters whilst recording, how they identify with their animated counterparts, and why Kumail insists Peter tell random children on the street to see their film.
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to several actors who have done animated work, and you obviously are never quite sure of which recorded lines are going to be kept in the final cut. Was there ever a sense during your recording of Migration that you thought, “I’ve nailed this line! This one is going to make the final cut.”?
Elizabeth Banks: Gosh, I never think that. I think there’s an essence that might stay, you know? That you hope you’re creating a version of a character that is appealing enough to be in the movie. But I don’t ever think any line is good enough.
Kumail Nanjiani: Honestly, the stuff that I felt most confident about is not in the movie (laughs). We did a lot of stuff that was like the husband and wife stuff. It was really emotional, and I really felt it! I was like, “Wow, that really felt real!” And then (the directors) were like, “We’re making a kids movie about ducks.”
Elizabeth Banks: You can just leave that at home.
Kumail Nanjiani: Yeah, wipe your tears and get a couples therapist.
Obviously chemistry is so important, and when it all comes together it feels so very seamless and natural. But I’m guessing most of the times you’re recoding it’s separate from each other. Do you know who your partners are going to be? Or do you enjoy doing it yourself? And yes, that was a 40-Year-Old Virgin quote.
Elizabeth Banks: Thank you so much, I recognised it (laughs). I knew it was Kumail, and I know him enough to know the essence of what’s going to come, and then I was able to, once we were in the process, I asked to hear some of his dialogue, but just so I wasn’t in a total void by myself. I always asked to get a sense of what he was doing on his side of it. And it was really fun. I mean, it was exactly what I hoped it would be.
Kumail Nanjiani: I’m getting really nervous thinking of you listening to my performance in the booth. Like “Oh no, is she going to listen to this stuff?”
It was probably all the emotional stuff that got cut out anyway…
Kumail Nanjiani: Yeah, exactly.
Elizabeth Banks: I probably didn’t hear any of the emotional stuff. They probably cut it before I got there (laughs).
Kumail Nanjiani: You never did any emotional stuff?
Elizabeth Banks: I did, yeah. I was a little bummed it got cut out, yeah.
Kumail Nanjiani: Yeah, we don’t want an animated Kramer Vs Kramer (laughs).
I think an animated Kramer Vs Kramer with ducks wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world…
Kumail Nanjiani: I would be so in!
Elizabeth Banks: I would be mostly out of it (laughs). That’s what happened, right?
Kumail Nanjiani: That’s right. It’s definitely his perspective (laughs).
And because the animation here is so beautiful to look at, and it doesn’t seem how old I get and how childless I am I’m still in love with animated movies. Even though they’re so often aimed at kids, there’s always some adult humour peppered throughout. Is there any animated films for the both of you, even as adults, that you still enjoy watching?
Kumail Nanjiani: Oh my God…
Elizabeth Banks: I really was so emotionally devastated by Toy Story 3. I still think about being in the theatre when they’re all going to go…
Kumail Nanjiani: Into the fire?
Elizabeth Banks: Yeah! And just grabbing my friend’s hand, and we’re both hysterically crying, like, “Buzz and Woody are going to go together!” The amount of intense feeling I had for animated characters was very…I mean, that’s the power of the medium.
Kumail Nanjiani: Cartoons are better than people. I would say Iron Giant. I cry just thinking of Iron Giant. I mean, Ratatouille…I cry. Up? How about the opening of Up? That is emotional warfare!
Elizabeth Banks: They really put you through the emotional wringer. Let’s just get ready for when the little kid shows up. Remember when the little jokey kids show up? You’re like, thank goodness! It’s too much!
And when it comes to your characters, Mack is more anxious, very much the cautious parent of the two, and then Pam is more daring. When it comes to yourselves, either travelling or taking on a new role, are you more a Pam or Mac in those situations?
Kumail Nanjiani: I think we’re both who we play.
Elizabeth Banks: (Laughs) I agree.
Kumail Nanjiani: She’s talking about how she wants to jump out of a plane, and I don’t want to step into my backyard.
Elizabeth Banks: I think the movie really represents us in a nice way.
Kumail Nanjiani: Yeah. Like if we go to a really nice resort, they’re like “Here are the activities.” And I’m like, “That’s so good that you have so many of these, but we’re going to sit by the pool.”
Elizabeth Banks: (Laughs) And I’m more “I need to be paddleboarding at 8am every day.” Maybe even swim with some manta rays?
Kumail Nanjiani: And I’m like, “Let’s catch up on TV.”
And on the topic of freedom and enjoying yourself, do you enjoy the freedom of voice recording? You can wear whatever you want, so I imagine there’s a joy in showing up and doing as much as you can, and not step on anyone’s toes.
Elizabeth Banks: What’s interesting is, as an actor, I normally need the hair and makeup and the wardrobe to help create character from the outside in. It’s a process with just imbuing a character with your essence. So here, it’s really only your vocal performance and the hope that they create enough of a physical manifestation of what you thought it was going to be.
I felt gratitude that they showed me some visuals of the ducks. They had done a lot of character development before they cast us, and I think they knew what pairing would work in terms of the vocal performances, so I just love that you’re putting an essence into something. Almost like filling a balloon with your air, and then the balloon becomes the shape of whatever it’s meant to be. I really enjoyed it and found it super easy.
Kumail Nanjiani: Did you know how that sentence was going to end?
Elizabeth Banks: I did not.
Kumail Nanjiani: You started it, and then it felt like poetry! I was surprised. Were you surprised?
That felt very much like classic Pam just then.
Kumail Nanjiani: That was amazing! I do full hair and makeup for animated stuff.
That checks out.
Kumail Nanjiani: I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on photo-realistic duck makeup. I got Rick Baker (laughs).
Elizabeth Banks: Rick Baker, back from the dead (laughs).
Kumail Nanjiani: That wasn’t Rick Baker? Who was that guy then? (Laughs).
Well, thank you both so much for taking the time out today. Migration was so sweet and so funny, and the two of you together is magic, so thank you so much.
Elizabeth Banks: Thank you.
Kumail Nanjiani: And you say you’re childless, but go up to random children in the street and tell them to see this movie!
That I will do.
Migration is scheduled to arrive in Australian theatres on Boxing Day, December 2023, but before this loveable family take to the big screens over the holiday season, Gwen, the cutest character from Migration‘s Mallard family has migrated to Sydney harbour for the film’s premiere.
Flexing her big duck energy, Gwen, who stands at an incredible 40ft, will be Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour until December 22nd for all to see before she flies back to her family.
