Missing Link (2019)

That's right, Laika is back with another animated stop-motion film!, I always loved Laika With their films, I enjoyed all of them, although Boxtrolls was their weakest one, I still liked it, Coraline was great, Paranorman was hilarious and Kubo and the Two Strings was beautiful, easily their best film, so now with Chris Butler (Co-Director of Paranormal) as director and writer of the newest Laika adventure, it's bound to be amazing once again!, so Lionsgate was kind enough to release it in the UK before the US, so I got a chance to see it today and...... they still don't disappoint, okay it's not perfect or their best one yet, but it still has a lot to offer, so let's talk about it!.

So it's about this famous explorer named Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) on a quest to find the unique creature know as the Sasquatch, one that can talk and is named Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), Mr. Link is tired of living alone and wants to join his cousins up at the Himalayas, so Lionel is promised to take him there so he can have a place and so he can prove to the other people that he is worthy of this club, I'll just leave it there, it's pretty basic and straightforward, which I'm afraid is why the writing is quite weak making the movie easily predicable, however, thanks the funny and amusing comedy, the writing is more forgiven since it's far more harmless then any other Laika film, which is not a bad thing, it's make the movie somewhat clever in it's moral and setting, it also has clever jokes along with it, sure it has told it humour and some obvious jokes, but that's kind of the charm of it, it's funny in a simple, clever and fun way, it shows that Laika want to make a movie that's not quite as dark as the other films that they made, it's got some great action that is very well timed and entertaining, the writing maybe weak and predicable, but thanks to it's fun comedy, clever jokes, heart, moral and great action, it makes the movie more fun for everyone and can pack in a lot of elements, into one and it surprisingly works here!.

Oh Laika, I missed your stop-motion animaton and I'm so glad to see it back on the big screen and looking amazing as always, the animation is one of the best things to come out of the movie, it has so much detail in it, of course being a stop-motion film, it has smooth and fast movements, each character has a Identifiable look and every character here looks great, from Mr. Link to Lionel Frost and many more, the backgrounds look gorgeous, the action scenes are well made and once again fun to watch and unlike Laika's other films, this one is more bright and colourful then dark and grey, the animation still proves that stop-motion is still a wonderful piece of animation and Laika is still the best at what they do!.

The characters are delightful and fun..... for the most part, Lionel Frost is a charming and amusing character, I enjoyed his moments and he is a good character, however he can act a bit out of character which would involve being a bit selfish, I know that's kind of part of his character but it didn't help since he's somewhat smug, but he is fun, Mr. Link is sweet, funny, charming and lots of fun, my favourite character in the film, Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana) is a helpful character and possible love interest for Frost and is also quite funny, as for the others, quite forgettable and to answer your question, yes, there is a villain or two, but they are quite bland and forgettable, although entertain

Fmovies: There are so many cliches to the movie that it makes this less of a Laika film and more of a Dreamworks Animation film. Add in the cloying disneyfied story with little tension and predictability and you get Missing Link, one of the weaker Laika films. I mean, this film has nothing special worth mentioning about it, even Laika's weakest film "The Boxtrolls" had more quirky elements and suspense to it. There is not much suspense in this one because one, I didn't care for the characters and two, the ending is anticlimatic, and three, there's not enough heart and soul to be found here. None of the humor I found that funny, I might have chuckled at one joke but that's about it. It's aimed particularly at children and a lot of the humor is either just lowbrow humor for the 9 year olds would get a kick out of or gags that you've seen in other kids cartoons.

There is no chemistry between the characters like for example, the forced romantic subplot between Zoe Saldana's character who I forgot the name of and Sir Lionel. The romance angle and her character alone was so contrived, like Zoe Saldona's character joins the adventure after Link and Sir Lionel robbed her house. Who would want to hang out with some stranger who broke into your house? Worse yet, they force in a romantic subplot between her and Lionel which doesn't make sense, why does she like this guy so much? This is the same jerk who broke into her house with some weird-looking monster, I don't get her whole weak character and her development. She is such an annoying character so it makes the film more intolerable to watch.

Throughout watching this film, I couldn't help but feel like it was missing something. Maybe it was missing the heart and soul that usually filled Laika films. For all intent and purposes, if you're looking for a nice animated buddy movie with some heart, you're better off watching Smallfoot, it's a bit different from this film and it's nothing groundbreaking neither but it has slightly more chemistry between characters and more heart to it. I don't believe a kid over the age of 9 would enjoy this. The only good thing about this film was a few of the action scenes and the animation, I cannot deny the animation is gorgeous as usual with Laika's films but that's the only points I can give it. I have no more to say about Missing Link. From its characters to its story, the writing was just meh, it's not horrible but it's not breathtakingly-good. I know I keep mentioning Laika's other films like Coraline and Paranorman but maybe I'm missing the darkness from those films because that's what I come to expect from Laika films. Maybe from this bomb, Laika will learn their lesson and return to the more whimsy and quirkiness of films like Coraline and Paranorman.

I'm a fan of Laika's work and believe they deserve more attention. Missing Link is perhaps the studio's best looking film. The sets are beautifully crafted and diverse, from lush forests, to steamy deserts and mysterious mountainsides. The crew had constructed 110 sets and the effort shows with the pristine meshing of colors and stylish architecture despite taking place in the gloomy 19th century. That said, where the art style falters is with the designs of wildlife. They're on screen for a short time, but their appearance is quite uncanny. Imagine an elephant but its eyes are on its forehead close to each other as opposed to both sides of its skull where they normally are. Yeah, it's weird and hard to drop. I'm not sure what the thought process was when sketching out these creatures.

Like Laika's other films, Missing Link bears an easygoing vibe despite being an adventure with a wide scope. This may alienate most viewers who expect more energetic delivery, but I personally enjoy this consistently refreshing approach to animation. Along with a decent helping of swashbuckling action, there's plenty of heart and laughs that should resonate fine with audiences of any age. It takes time from the more quicker paced sequences to let the character's emotional turmoil and wisecracking humor sink in. At the center of that is Zach Galifianakis as Mr. Link. It's borderline impossible to dislike something as laid back, wide-eyed and innocent as Mr. Link, and he wouldn't be half the star without Galifianakis' charm tailoring him throughout the story. Ideal casting.

As for the other characters, I didn't care too much for them as they were kinda tropey. Hugh Jackman is just the overconfident (and surprisingly selfish) journeyman, Zoe Saldana plays the fiercely independent woman we've seen everywhere nowadays and the villains are just stock baddies there for the sake of giving the protagonists some kind of obstacle to dodge, even if it did result in a thoroughly entertaining action scene here and there. The chase sequence on the ship was rather fun with the boat tilting on its side and frustrating the character's means of escape from the villains. With this being completed with stop motion animation it earns bonus points; an impressive watch.

Not much left to say. Missing Link is an easygoing, serviceable animated adventure. If the characters were a tad stronger I'd consider this one of Laika's greatest feats next to Kubo and the Two Strings. Due to lousy marketing, stop motion animated films get very little awareness and revenue. Despite its few setbacks, Missing Link is a neat little romp that deserves to be known about.

Missing Link fmovies. Missing Link is a positively charming adventure with a lovable protagonist and fantastic animation.

The story line follows Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), a daring adventurer with a flair for the dramatic, who stumbles upon a massive discovery. He receives a letter confirming the existence of the Sasquatch and treks off to meets the sender, a Sasquatch named Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis). Mr. Link convinces Frost to help him track down his cousins, the yetis, living up in the Himalayas. Together with Frost's old flame Adalina, they travel the globe in search of Link's distant family.

My favorite character in this film is Mr. Link. He is a big creature with an even bigger heart. Link yearns for family after years of loneliness in the wilderness. Link takes everything very literally which provides the film with some witty gags. Zach Galifianakis's voice work on this film adds an extra layer to this character with his warm, upbeat energy and comedic voice performance.

I really like the character of Sir Lionel Frost also. He is a flawed explorer who has lost his passion for adventure and has gained a desire for success in all the wrong places. It's interesting to see an adventurer who, although good at what he does, isn't as dashing and is more unlikable at the onset of this film than the norm. Frost isn't readymade for the role of hero and earns it as we watch him become a more selfless, kind person during his arc in the film.

I love the animation in this film. With Missing Link, animation studio Laika continues to prove that its animation is getting better and better with each film. Every locale in this film, from India to the Himalayas is colorful and vibrant. These environments and characters are well-crafted and thought out. You sense the work and passion behind what you see on screen and the animation is breathtaking and even unbelievable at times.

Missing Link doesn't overuse the fish-out-of-water trope with the character of Mr. Link. The one flaw with this film is the use of an assassin character named Stenk. This character doesn't add much to the film, other than an action scene every once in a while and comes across as underdeveloped.

I give Missing Link an age rating of 5 to 15 for some scenes of peril and crude humor. I give Missing Link 4 out of 5 stars. Reviewed by Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.

With a story that is one part Lost Horizon (and other lost world adventures), one part Around the World in 80 Days, and one part buddy comedy this is a winsome , hilarious story that adults and young children (Age 6+) should both enjoy. The film mixes and matches wit, physical comedy, injokes and puns with evident glee that keeps the tone light and the story moving. Mr. Link and Sir Frost are wonderful duo that has all the hallmarks of the classic comedy pairing. Jackman gives wonderfully dry vocal performance that makes Frost a great rogue.

The animation is quite breath taking. There are couple scenes involving water that are quite striking technically but there is a long sequence in a horse drawn carriage that is the real standout for the animation. It must have taken months to get the timing of that scene right. The character design and the overall look of the film is rather twee and visual scope of the film is the largest one I have seen in a stop motion animation. The film really does fit comfortably into the 30's style adventure films.

The film's message is a continuation of the accepting differences, being true to yourself theme that is present in ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. Here is much more about *class* than innate difference however. This film is better realized than the Boxtrolls but not quite the brilliance of ParaNorman.

I *think* children 5 and below might find the film to slow paced; it is a leisurely film. A lot of the humor is verbal.

Missing Link is a heartwarming and funny film with incredible visuals and great voice acting from Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman and Zoe Saldana. It's got a nice pace and some impressive set pieces and good messages. Only negative is that a few of the jokes aren't funny.