While their filmography isn’t filled with household names the way in which competitors like Pixar and DreamWorks are, the films of stop-motion animation company Laika are often successful and consistently acclaimed as being a lot of fun for both children and adults. Filled mostly with quirky, eccentric humor, their films mainly delve deeply into either fantasy (Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls) or horror (ParaNorman, Coraline), often exploring genre-heavy topics such as myths, monsters, and the supernatural. While some films have been more acclaimed than others, the studio has yet to have a misfire on their hands, and their fifth feature, Missing Link, adds to their ever-growing hot streak.
The film follows Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), an investigator of mythological beings who travels the world, struggling to make a big name for himself. Looking to be accepted into a society of fellow explorers, led by his rival Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry), Frost discovers the location of a Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis), whom he dubs Mr. Link, living in the woods by himself. Lonely, Mr. Link agrees to give Frost the proof he desires to join the society in exchange for Frost helping him go to the Himalayas to find his relatives, the Yetis. Along with Frost’s former lover Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), Frost and Mr. Link set off, all while being chased by a bounty hunter named Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant), hired by Piggot-Dunceby to kill Frost so he can never step foot in the society.
Unlike Laika’s other films, the story is more of a straightforward effort, despite its subject matter. The film doesn’t take too long to get things off the ground and doesn’t take too many detours once the plot is in full motion. Clocking in at a mere ninety-four minutes, the film is fast-paced with a tight script, mainly focused on getting from Point A to Point B. However, it doesn’t feel so much rushed but rather just doesn’t lose its momentum. It maintains a consistent speed and doesn’t really slow down.
However, because of this, the characters aren’t nearly as layered as many of their other characters in previous films. That’s not to say that Frost, Link, and Fortnight aren’t one-dimensional characters. They each have clear goals, distinct personalities, and are each established from the beginning of the movie as characters the audience can enjoy following, and can relate to in a way, each having a satisfying arc. However, unlike Kubo and the Two Strings or ParaNorman, the film is less character-based, and there’s not much more to the characters outside of what’s established at the beginning or the revelations they come to by the end of the movie.
The only less than stellar character is Lord Piggot-Dunceby. While at the beginning of the movie, he serves as a fun nemesis for Frost, his sudden turn from harmless rival to full-blown villain, simply because he just doesn’t want Frost in his society, doesn’t feel believable. While it’s a turn established early on in the movie, it still feels very jarring. What’s even more jarring is that he gets word himself that Mr. Link is real early on, and chooses to have Frost killed anyway just because he’s had more supposed false claims over the years than real claims. While Stenk was a fun villain to chase Frost around, the path to get him introduced feels forced and could have been worked in differently.
Despite some character issues, the film still manages to have the great sense of adventure that’s prevalent in many of Laika’s other movies. While the film doesn’t delve too deep into the unknown the way their supernatural-themed films do, it does explore various settings, at times feeling reminiscent of a Western, and other moments reminiscent of classic films from the 1930s and 1940s.
This gives Laika plenty of opportunities plenty of opportunities to show off their beautiful animation skills. Like the rest of their filmography, the animation is incredibly detailed, with each setting given the utmost care and feeling almost like a painting come to life. The Himalaya sequence in particular sees the animation at its finest, with a vast scope filled with eye-popping visuals. Laika’s use of stop-motion also feels more fluid than ever in Missing Link. While the use of the style is very clear, it still comes across as very smooth, with elements such as facial expressions being captured very vividly.
On top of all this, the film is extremely funny, which is probably its strongest element. What the film lacks in story, it makes up for in laughs. The humor here is a mix of over-the-top physical slapstick and comic misunderstandings. It’s all incredibly simple humor, and in the hands of a lesser company, would feel much more forced and cheap. However, thanks to the film’s incredibly quick pace, there’s an air of sophistication about many of the jokes. Sometimes a joke will be made mid-conversation, and the characters will brush it off and move on. Galifianakis is the source of much of the film’s simpler humor though Jackman gets in quite a few moments of his own with some witty one-liners.
Missing Link may not be Laika’s strongest film, but it’s still a great time. While the story and the characters aren’t as incredibly complex as some of Laika’s previous efforts, it’s beautifully animated, extremely fast-paced, and very funny. While it’s doubtful Mr. Link and company will go on to be as beloved as other family-friendly animated characters, both children and adults will have a great time watching their adventures unfold.
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