Laika – the animation studio behind Kubo And The Two Strings and Coraline, among others – returns with another visually stunning and utterly charming adventure, this time set in the 19thcentury.
Having failed to prove the existence of the Loch Ness monster in a hilarious opening sequence, explorer Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman) is determined to find man’s missing link, the creature often known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch who shows the origins of man.
When he find said creature (Galifianakis), Lionel is astonished to discover that Mr Link (as he calls him) can talk, walk and is quite a dashing chap. He’s lonely, though, being the only one of his kind in the Pacific Northwest, so Mr Link asks Lionel to help him on a new expedition to the fabled valley of Shangri-La where his distant relatives, the Yeti, are believed to live.
Joined by tough adventurer Adelina (Saldana) who possesses a vital map, and shadowed by the nasty Stenk (Olyphant), who is in the employ of the nasty Lord Piggot-Dunceb (Stephen Fry) who doesn’t want Lionel to succeed, the stage is set for an adventure that takes everyone across the frontier, over the seas and onto India.
With some stunning set pieces – including one on a ship that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Christopher Nolan action sequence – and gorgeous characterisation by the stop-motion animators, this is a dream to look at. It’s warmly funny, too, and even exciting, with nice vocal turns from the cast that also includes Emma Thompson, Matt Lucas and David Walliams.
An animated movie bursting with charm, just like Mr Link himself.
Is Missing Link suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
This is an animated adventure that should be suitable for children over the age of 8. Younger children may find the character Stenk a little scary.
There are scenes in which the characters are in danger, but they are not too intense.
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