Missing Link

The stop-motion animation studio Laika can't seem to catch a break when it comes to attempting to reach a wider audience to remain financially stable. Their films are sophisticated in regards to the storytelling and humor, which is a far difference from the standard blockbusters most families would expect from big budget companies with obvious physical humor. Their strongest works are Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), and Kubo & the Two Strings (2016), which all thrive on the strength of the writing, creativity, and engaging tales but share the same fate of being outshined and ignored upon release. This brings us to their latest project Missing Link, which was written and directed by Chris Butler (Kubo, ParaNorman). When it was being marketed, it certainly looked nice and safe but I was hoping that they were saving the best material for the movies release. After the movie was made public, it didn't seem to have much of a social media presence or any buzz surrounding it. I entered the auditorium wanting to support the struggling studio as well as the art of stop-motion animation and left it a little underwhelmed but glad I gave it a chance.

Note: When I was watching it, I had some trouble paying attention a few times due to restless children being louder than the films volume (one was crying at a point and was carried out of the room for a moment). I noticed that the audio in family features aren't that loud those auditoriums and kids might get angsty but I haven't had much issue until here. I'll be able to review this just fine but my score might change if I decide to rewatch this with less kids in the room (less distractions). 

What's it about? The story follows a self-involved myths and monsters investigator who takes on a mission to escort a Bigfoot to the Himalayas so that it can find a group to call a family. There are interesting aspects to this premise that the writing isn't afraid to touch on. The urge to finding acceptance within society isn't anything groundbreaking but seeing it handled in a sophisticated matter is a nice change. The humor between the duo feels more easy going as they channel a Laurel and Hardy kind of vibe with their antics. The adventuring parts where it channels a trip across the globe adds a nice touch of flair to keep things pretty nice. What's even more impressive is how detailed and strong the animation is with the scenery and action sequences (especially the scenery).

Unfortunately what hurts the story the most is how forgettable it feels upon execution. It has its charm to to help out but in the end it goes through the motions of going from point A to B that's overused in family films like these. None of the events that take place has the strength to make a memorable impression because they don't take many risks or do anything flashy to catch your eye.

How are the actors? In regards to the main characters Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) and Mr Link (Zach Galifianakis), both actors do serviceable jobs for their given roles. The former does his typical charismatic figure impersonation while the latter shows his restraint while doing a nice portrayal of naive innocence (nothing new for those familiar with their work). For a movie that's pretty safe, the script the cast is working with doesn't let them shine enough to become new characters instead just going for playing themselves. An honorable mention goes to Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant) for how much fan it help that the actor was having as an opposing force compared to the rest of the cast.

Overall Consensus: Missing Link has good intentions with its beautiful animation, great action scenes, and a nice sense of adventure but falls short of having a lasting impression due to its safe and unmemorable script. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟 Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes PG

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You enjoy the art of stop-motion animation. You have a soft spot for those old fashioned world traveling adventure flicks. You want to support Laika by checking out their projects. You don't mind safe easy going family films. You like humor that's akin to Laurel and Hardy.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You don't enjoy the style stop-motion animation. You aren't a fan old fashioned world traveling adventure flicks. You are bored with safe easy going family films.