MISSING LINK: Laika’s Lastest Feature Aims To Stun – And Succeeds

Missing Link begins with a footprint. Whether you choose to take that statement literally or metaphorically is irrelevant, because it works both ways: the opening shot is of a footprint, and the story kicks off as the result of, you guessed it, a footprint. Within the next few scenes, the viewer is immediately catapulted into the heart of this sweet story, given a glimpse into the life of its lead character (played by the ever-charismatic Hugh Jackman).

LAIKA is a studio that has been in the animation business for quite some time now, with their first largely recognized feature Coraline celebrating its tenth anniversary earlier this year. They’ve gone on to produce more films, with ParaNorman, The BoxTrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings acting as fine examples of their storytelling and animating craft; all stunning pieces of art in their own right.

LAIKA has proven to be one of the most innovative and incredibly unique studios in the world, with each new release seeming to build upon their last. Missing Link is no exception, and has quickly become a front-runner for the top spot in my year-end list. While it may be a bit too early to decide, it’s no surprise LAIKA knocks it out of the park once again with a film more unique than almost every other animated film of the past five years.

It tells the story of Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman), a mythical creature investigator who struggles to find a place among his more widely recognized competitors, many of whom make up a secret society that Frost desperately wishes to be accepted into. After receiving a letter containing the whereabouts of a Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis), Frost heads to the Pacific Northwest to discover for himself. He finds the Sasquatch (dubbed “Mr. Link”), who reveals to have sent the letter himself, asking for Frost’s help in finding his cousins, the race of Yeti. With the help of Frost’s old flame Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the group set off to the Himalayas in search of Mr. Link’s relatives while tackling various themes, including friendship and acceptance.

A Structural Symphony

One of the first things one will notice about Missing Link is the way its narrative unfolds. Pacing-wise, it’s extremely rewarding and works as multiple genres all at once while still feeling unique and secure in its own storytelling. The viewer can almost feel in their bones how much it was inspired by the iconic adventure films of the ’80s, but there’s never a time where the film’s characters feel forcefully thrown into a situation “just because”. Everything feels like it has a clear purpose within the confines of the film’s world; however, the story also never oversteps its bounds. It has some elements that are clearly thrown in for the more mature viewers in the audience to appreciate, especially the primary antagonist, who feels extremely inspired by a very specific someone in our culture with his spoiled and childish demeanor, in addition to his gang of servants who are loyal, but in his eyes, expendable.

As to be expected, LAIKA once again does a phenomenal job bringing the world of the characters to life. Seeing their behind-the-scenes work is always stunning, and it seems like every new release from them builds upon the other in some way, shape, or form in comparison to its predecessor. With Missing Link, the studio went a bit smaller-scale in comparison to Kubo (which completely raised the bar for all stop-motion setpieces to be judged by), but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t completely investing and mesmerizing at delivering one of the most stunningly picturesque depictions of “real meets fantasy” that these eyes have ever seen.

There’s definitely a noticeable color contrast between the human-populated environments and the more mystical ones, but the set design is impeccable in both. The humans’ land feels very cluttered and condensed with many various things to point out in each scene, while every other environment acts as a very vast counterpart. It’s almost a meditation on freedom of our minds and how exposure to worlds not our own (even small ones) allows us to open up other parts of our personality.

Larger Appreciation of Life

LAIKA is no stranger to pulling heartstrings (Kubo truly hits its viewers right in the feels), but even though the emotional beats in their latest creation aren’t as monumental as they might seem, they’re certainly hard-hitting. It’s weird because it isn’t a film that’s necessarily sad, but it’s the journey that the characters take and where it brings them in their relationship that’s meaningful.

The facial designs for the characters are tremendous because of how they can convey a wide range of emotions just through expressions, especially Mr. Link. There’s just something that makes you instantly fall in love with him, and it’s more of a blend of multiple things than one sole factor. It’s really all about the dialogue and the chemistry on display between the characters (both work very well), and they add up to a great experience that does more than just invest you in the characters; it makes you care about them more than pretty much anything else in the present moment.

More than anything, this is a film about love, and not strictly the romantic type. It’s about loving your friends, loving your family, and merging the two together so much that your friends almost become your family in a sense. But it’s also a film about freedom. Not the type of freedom that celebrates doing whatever you want, but the type that honors the feeling that sometimes you just need to do something for yourself every once in a while. There’s an analogy used a couple of times that refers to being a caged bird, and that being free from that cage enables a large-scale appreciation of these things.

Conclusion: Is Missing Link Worth Piecing Together?

There’s always something to love about LAIKA’s creative endeavors, and even if their stories lack in substance, their incredible, boundary-pushing animation makes up for it. This is not the case for Missing Link, because it needs nothing to make up for something else. It checks every box, across the board. There’s an insanely gorgeous amount of detail and whimsy poured into the fabric of the film’s every frame, never once feeling tiring or boring. It’s definitely not as layered and complex as some of the studio’s other offerings, but it neatly lodges itself squarely in the middle of their filmography thanks to a firm heart that never stops being its pure self.

In the span of ninety-five minutes, the film took me on a journey through the furthest reaches of the world and I came back reeling from the adventure and desperately wanting to rewatch it as soon as it ended. It’s a tale about friendship, and how sometimes what we’re looking for is right in front of us all along. Sweet, charming, and beautifully unique, Missing Link deserves only the highest praise.

What’s your favorite LAIKA film? How about your favorite stop-motion venture? Let us know in the comments section below!

Missing Link was released on April 12th in the United States.