Illumination has announced that its next CG-animated film, Migration, will be coming to theaters this Christmas. The announcement was made just as the production company celebrates the theatrical release of its latest film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which arrived in theaters this week.
Unlike The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is based on the beloved Nintendo video game franchise, Migration will be a completely new and unique movie about a family of ducks making their seasonal journey. The teaser is being shown before The Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters, but the majority of the trailer spends time highlighting Illumination's blockbuster animation franchises like Despicable Me, Sing, and The Secret Life of Pets.
We do get a very brief glimpse of the movie though, and it does seem to contain Illumination's signature humor. After showing the family kick off its journey into the skies and soar above the beautiful landscape, the teaser cuts to them huddled under some cover in the middle of a thunderstorm. “We’re not going to make it, are we,” questions Uncle Dan before another bird with long legs and an oversized eyeball peers at the family.
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.
Migration is being directed by Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine) and written by Mike White (Nacho Libre, The Emoji Movie, upcoming Despicable Me 4). Casting details have not yet been announced.
Illumination is also in the early stages of developing sequels to Sing and The Secret Life of Pets. Illumination has grown into a powerhouse animation studio in recent years, rivaling Disney's Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Illumination's projects have grossed over $8 billion globally, a figure that will undoubtedly grow even larger following the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The studio's most recent film, Minions: The Rise of Gru, grossed $364 million globally.
The teaser for Migration comes shortly after Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri teased Universal’s slate of upcoming animated films which also includes Shrek 5. Before Migration hits theaters later this Christmas, Universal has a couple of other movies set to arrive in the coming months. DreamWorks' Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken releases this summer (June 30) while Trolls Band Together arrives November 17.