Missing Link is new in theaters for kids this weekend from the pioneering Laika animation studios. New children’s films from this studio are only released every few years due to its painstaking stop motion techniques. Laika films are well worth seeing for the sheer artistry, and Missing Link is no less dazzling.
Parents will instantly recognize the voice of Hugh Jackman as Sir Lionel Frost. He is a self-centered adventurer who longs to find evidence of mythical creatures’ existence to gain admittance to an elite and stuffy explorer’s club.
Enter Mr. Link (the voice of comedian Zach Galifianakis), an self-educated Sasquatch who is lonely in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. He writes a letter to Sir Frost because he wants to be “discovered.” His ulterior motive is to have Sir Frost help him reunite with the only kin he knows of: the Yetis. Along the way Adelina Fortnight (the voice of Zoe Saldana), the feisty widow of Frost’s exploring partner, joins in the cause of Mr. Link’s family reunion, which has totally unexpected results.
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The visuals in Missing Link are phenomenal, as audiences have come to expect. But the studio has refined its techniques over the years, so the detail and natural movements in this new film are better than ever.
It’s nice to see Laika venturing into friendlier, funnier storytelling territory that isn’t in the realm of Halloween (though Coraline is a classic!). They still have some work to do on creating characters with heart that really connect with the audience, but Mr. Link is likable and sweet–it’s a good start. There are some suspenseful scenes and slapstick violence that may be scary for six and under.
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