Migration

Conveying an underlying compassion for our feathered friends and their supposed moral dilemmas, Migration nevertheless rarely takes flight.

Highlighted by crisp and colorful animation, this change of pace for screenwriter Mike White (“The White Lotus”) makes minimal effort to use the quirks and peculiarities of bird behavior to its advantage, leaving its characters resembling humans in duck costumes.

The Mallard family is happily sequestered year-round in a secluded New England pond. At least that’s the preference of patriarch Mack (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani), who warns his two curious young ducklings about the dangers of venturing too far from home.

An opposing viewpoint comes from Mack’s mate, Pam (Elizabeth Banks), who encourages exploration. After meeting a migrating flock passing through, the family tries to persuade Mack. “It’s about seeing what life has to offer,” she reasons. “Is it a little scary? Sure, but it’s worth it.”

Jamaica is the destination, which leads to a perilous cross-country odyssey alongside eccentric Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito). Their adventure includes encounters with a predatory heron (Carol Kane), a territorial New York pigeon (Awkwafina), and a neurotic parrot (Keegan-Michael Key) trying to escape captivity. He was abducted by a twisted chef — specializing in duck, of course — who becomes the nemesis throughout their journey.

Children might appreciate the slapstick antics, as well as the gentle messages amid the obligatory mayhem about spreading your wings, confronting your fears, and valuing family above all else.

Even within the loose expectations for time-honored cinematic talking animals, the film goes a little overboard with the human characteristics ascribed to its avian protagonists. The script is only a few minimal alterations away from a live-action road-trip saga.

However, as directed by Benjamin Renner (co-director of Ernest and Celestine), some of the airborne sequences are delightfully rendered, including a playful detour through the clouds, plus an opening vignette in the style of hand-drawn illustrations.

Otherwise, some of its subplots are more charming than others, and at least it doesn’t resort to a barrage of low-brow gags (except for a joke about the ethics of nonchalantly dropping a No. 2, which hits the mark).

With its spirited voice cast, Migration features some scattered laughs for the preteen demographic, but it isn’t as consistently zany or clever as intended for accompanying adults. The result is a bit fowl.

Rated PG, 83 minutes.