The comic frisson between Frost (a pompous dandy to whom Jackman gives the right amount of outlaw charm) and Susan (an extremely avuncular Galifianakis) is just about enough to power the film for its 95-minute running time. Together, they journey to Asia to find a hidden kingdom that the yeti says is populated by more of his kind. Link, though the creature (Zach Galifianakis) prefers the name Susan. Frost quickly identifies him as a “missing link” of sorts between modern Homo sapiens and our primate ancestors and dubs him Mr. As it turns out, that yeti is not only real but also capable of speaking perfect English. His idols, the stuffy members of an adventurers’ guild who deride him from within their mahogany-bound chambers, challenge him to bring back real proof from his next fantastic mission, so Frost packs his bags for the Pacific Northwest in search of a yeti who has been spotted. But while the film (directed by Chris Butler, whose last feature was the excellent Laika project ParaNorman) conjures several gorgeous landscapes, Missing Link also stands out as a lovely fable about the limits of Frost’s assiduousness, and the complications caused by his sense of superiority.Īfter his attempt to get solid photos of the Loch Ness monster goes awry, Frost returns to London at the risk of being branded a fraud. It’s filled with colorful characters, innovative creature design, and some of the most spectacular sets in Laika’s history. His attention to detail makes him an ideal fit for a form that brings wiry puppets to life through meticulous craft and technology-in which every turn of a character’s head or tap of his foot takes hours, or even days, to arrange.Ĭonsidering the effort that has to go into every shot, Missing Link-the latest feature from the bespoke animation powerhouse Laika (the studio behind hits such as The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings)-is impressive to the point of feeling daunting. The opening scene of the film sees Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman) battle the Loch Ness monster with hilarious precision, tackling the gargantuan beast with just a walking stick and a notepad. He’s an explorer who travels to eye-popping locations around the world, makes a habit of finding the strangest-looking creatures possible, and does it all with a clipped sort of fastidiousness straight out of his Victorian era. Sir Lionel Frost, the ostensible hero of Missing Link, is a perfect match for the medium of stop-motion filmmaking.
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