Migration: In Defense of a Low-Stakes Climax

Migration has almost everything you’d look for in a family-centered comedy: well-developed but humorous characters, hilarious gags, and its stunning visuals are truly unique, balancing the unique dynamic of classic 2D animation with three-dimensional depth. It highlights family themes, sibling relationships, and a call to adventure all within a refreshingly simple premise and plot. For the most part, it didn’t fall into the trap of providing a convoluted adventure for a comedy movie that simply didn’t need it. 

But no movie is without its flaws, and Migration is no exception. Its climax spotlights a growing trend within recent movies and books that has become impossible to ignore in recent years. This trend has affected blockbusters and action-adventures, and now, unfortunately, also the simpler, more contained stories found in comedies and family movies.

So this week we’re diving into Migration to investigate where it went wrong, as well as how you can avoid the same pitfall when writing your climax.

Migration

Migration is a hilarious movie following a family of mallards on a road-trip-like adventure through their very first migration. Although Mack, the father, is originally hesitant to leave the comfort of their pond for warmer weather, he is eventually won over by his wife and their two children, Dax and Gwen, who are eager to exchange their monotonous existence at the pond for an adventure to far-away places. They are joined by their deadbeat Uncle Dan, and together the five of them set out on a journey that ends up being more than a little bit chaotic. 

Throughout their trip, they make a few friends, as well as some powerful enemies, including a chef famous for his roast ducks and determined to put the Mallard family on the menu. Although they escape the encounter, it costs Dax several of his feathers and thus his ability to fly — and The Chef isn’t done yet. In a nearly-comical frenzy, he chases the ducks down their migration path in a helicopter, finally succeeding in capturing all but Dax and Gwen. Separated from their parents, with no guidance or idea where the adults in their lives have been taken, facing the impending climax seems impossible. And on top of that, the fact that Dax lost his feathers means they can’t even pursue their parents.

That is, before Dax finds some of the feathers left behind by the captured ducks, attaches them to his wings through unexplained means, and flies back to save them.

Not Every Climax Has to Have High Stakes

I found Migration to be hilarious. From slapstick to witty dialogue and perfectly in-character interactions, the entire movie was so full of lighthearted fun that it presented a sit-com-like world without making the characters so ridiculous as to be unrelatable. The father’s caution at leaving the safety of the pond is understandable, but that doesn’t mean the writers aren’t afraid to let the audience laugh at it. Dax tries to be grown-up and mature, but the dynamic between him and his childish younger sister Gwen lead to some of the best jokes of the movie. Although the characters developed, the story presents its theme of living life to the fullest without becoming annoyingly preachy like so many similar movies. It was the perfect mix of heart and humor, and — until the climax — avoided being either profound or pretentious.

But then the climax came along and, unfortunately, the writers decided that it must have high tension and stakes. So they took away Dax’s ability to fly, the children’s connection to their parents, and forced their characters to face a nearly impossible climax. And the solution to it was disappointingly simplistic. Sure, Dax spends a few minutes feeling sad and scared after his parents are taken. The adults take up a whole scene in near-despair on The Chef’s helicopter. But in a few minutes both parties have found basic solutions to their problems and the movie continues as if nothing had happened.

There are times when mostly-funny stories can skip the humor for a climax that packs an unexpected punch (and I have an article on the subject in the works.) But that wasn’t the case for this movie, and the main reason is the fact that they presented their characters with impossible problems, they gave them a cheap and easy solution — which is the definition of Deus Ex Machina.

The truth is that readers (or in this case, viewers) are far more forgiving to climaxes that aren’t as showy as many modern blockbuster movies than those with impossible odds quickly presented with an easy solution. 

Deus Ex Machina is tricky and can happen to any story, but there is no reason for it to happen in a story like this one. Migration didn’t need a high-tension climax with impossible problems and intense emotional investment. It was a comedy movie more than anything. The villains were more humorous than scary. The protagonists’ problems were legitimate without robbing the movie of its capacity to crack a joke. Although their relationships were heartfelt and mostly believable, they weren’t deep enough to merit the kind of tension the climax aimed for.

Migration made a mistake in the opposite direction of the one made in Antman (which we addressed in an article last November.) Rather than adding humor to ruin a touching scene, Migration tried to add stakes to a movie that was never supposed to have any of that magnitude. Successful and lauded comedies have often written climaxes that fall far short of the high-stakes conclusions expected in blockbusters or the emotional crises found in dramas. But these days, it seems writers from all genres feel forced to write climaxes that compete with films like Endgame and Inception. Batman can’t just stop the bad guys — he has to save the city from a dozen bombs even after the villains are captured. Peter Parker can’t just be your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, he has to stop the multiverse from collapsing in on itself. A family of ducks can’t just finish off their migration journey with one last, humorous adventure — they have to face a near-death experience at the hands of a maniacal villain.

So if you are writing a comedy, or even just a more light-hearted novel, don’t feel pressure to come up with an impossible climax for your characters. You don’t always have to force them to their limit or take their values to their most difficult conclusions. Sometimes, readers will appreciate a book that leaves them with a breath of humor. And in any case, your readers will appreciate a book that doesn’t conclude cheap solutions to impossible, highly manufactured problems.

Readers are far more forgiving to low-stakes climaxes that fit the genre of the rest of the movie than needless stakes and Deus Ex Machina that work around it. There is a right way to write a story that is mostly comedy, and yet somehow manages to end with a gut-punch climax. But that’s not every story, and it’s far better to leave your readers laughing than somewhat disappointed in a climax that didn’t quite deliver.

Let us know in the comments:

What comedies have you read or watched that had a low-stakes climax? Did it leave you satisfied in the end?