| “ | A chef -- he's like a predator, but instead of eating you, he serves you to a bunch of lazier predators. | „ |
| ~ Chump explains the Chef. |
The Chef, or The Duck Chef, is the main antagonist of Illumination's 14th feature film, Migration.
He is an oppressive, psychopathic, strict and sadistic chef and cook who works at a restaurant in Manhattan, New York, where he prepares a roasted dish called Duck a l'Orange, which he makes from the ducks he captures, slaughters, and cooks. He is the arch-nemesis of the Mallard family and the former owner of his pet parrot Delroy.
Appearance[]
The Chef is a man of burly build. He has big bodybuilder muscular, He has numerous tattoos all over his arms and neck while his oval-shaped head has shaved hair and sideburns, a pointy chin beard, and he wears earrings. The Chef also wears red glasses over his eyes, and rings on his fingers.
Personality[]
Not much is known about the Chef's personality, but it is likely he is a ruthless, egocentric and greedy man. Firstly, he carelessly abuses one of his workers for food not standing up to his personal tastes. Secondly, his lavish wealth is implied since he owns a military style helicopter shaped like a tiger, showing more of a vanity side. Lastly, he shows no empathy, sympathy nor remorse to killing sapient creatures. While some could contend that he does not know the animals, particularly the ducks have no free will, he would not go on a vengeful streak against a family of ducks. Additionally, even if he could not understand animal speech, it should be apparent to a normal person that said animals exhibit human-like intelligence.
He willingly pays farmers to get ducks, but when he does not get his ducks, he flies into a rage against both the ducks and farmers. He goes so far as to kidnap and separate Mack and Pam from the rest of the ducks. The farm where he purchased the ducks shows that the ducks have human-like desires, yet he does not even flinch at the prospect of murdering sapient creatures.
Story[]
Past[]
The Chef is the owner of a restaurant in New York City. He is also a client at a duck farm, which takes on a resort-like appearance. While at his job, he cooks up a duck turkey-like dish called Duck A l'Orange, which is roasted duck with orange slices all over and on top. Before the movie, he captured a macaw named Delroy for his own personal taste.
Migration[]
After rejecting one of his chef's dishes, the Chef goes on to prepare Duck A l'Orange. He is close to finishing the dish when he is sprayed by an out of control fire extinguisher courtesy of Mack and Pam Mallard, causing the dish to be covered in foam, ruining it. He and the kitchen staff procced to chase the ducks only to be stopped due to the several dancing customers (due to it being Salsa Tuesday) as the Chef bursts into his office where he spots the Mallards free his parrot Delory who flies out of the restaurant along with the Mallards.
He then travels to a duck farm to purchase ducks for cooking (coincidentally the same location where the Mallards and Delroy are staying) as he leads the clueless ducks into the back of his truck when Dax Mallard rushes in to warn the ducks as the Chef then pins Dax to the ground with a roasting stick before pulling out several of his feathers, rendering him flightless.
He then lifts Dax and attempts to impale him with the roasting stick only to be swarmed and pecked at by the ducks who flee along with the Mallards and Delroy. Angered, the Chef then proceeds to follow them in his helicopter and begins to search for them with a searchlight at night and finds them sleeping in a motel pool. The light then alerts them as they begin to fly away, but the now prepared Chef fires a large net, capturing them (minus Dax and Gwen who hid from the searchlight).
He proceeded to toss the ducks in an electric cage, but soon sees Mack and Pam are part of the ducks he caught, recognizing them as the ones who started it all. He puts the couple in a separate cage and places it next to him to personally guard them. The couple then manage to slowly sneak away from him, only for the Chef to recapture them. Tired of them escaping, he prepares to kill them as the other ducks, Delroy, Uncle Dan, and GooGoo began pelting him with produce with the Chef eventually being knocked out after being hit with a squash. This, however, causes him to accidently open the helicopter's hatch, causing him, Max, and Pam to fall out of the helicopter.
He is miraculously saved by his own net as the couple began to fall due to being stuck in the cage, but are freed by Gwen and Dax. After regaining consciousness, he is frightened by his predicament and can only watch all the swarm of ducks fly off to Jamaica, leaving him tied up in his own net as the helicopter flies away with him.
His fate is unknown, though is it possible he was sent back to New York as that was where his helicopter was meant to go.
Trivia[]
Despite his nature as the main antagonist in the movie Migration, the fact that the Chef is trying to capture the white ducks led by Googoo was the catalyst for the argument between Mack and his son Dax after rescuing them.