Adventures of a lonely bigfoot
IN Victorian London, old-school adventurer Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) hopes to prove himself as the world's leading expert on myths and monsters. Our dashing hero is desperate to earn international renown and respect he so richly believes he deserves.
In particular, Sir Lionel hopes to earn the validation — and membership — of a pompous and highly exclusive London institution, headed by the bad guy Lord PiggotDunceby (Stephen Fry).
Desperate to leave his mark on the world, Sir Lionel journeys to the Pacific Northwest, to find the legendary Bigfoot or Sasquatch, and perhaps prove the evolutionary missing link that has eluded scientists.
Having found the creature, which is believed to be the missing link between humans and "humans' ancestor" (depending whether you believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution), Sir Lionel later calls it Mr Link (Zach Galifianakis).
As it turns out, Mr Link (or as he's later called Susan) turns out to be a very chipper mythical beast.
With superb voice work from Galifianakis, he's a gentle giant just looking for a home — and like a combination of Spock and Drax the Destroyer, he's hilariously literal-minded.
Sir Lionel later discovers that Mr Link, who can also speak English and think well despite his ape-like appearance, is left all alone on the continent and wishes that Sir Lionel helps to bring him to the yetis of the Himalayas.
Together with Sir Lionel's old flame Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the three of them then set on a journey half across the world to help the lonely bigfoot find his yeti cousins in the mountains.
So off they go, joined by map-bearer Adelina, for a stunningly-staged globetrotting journey in search of the mysterious yeti of the Nepalese mountains.
This stop-motion animated work presents a story of visual scale and dynamism, with over 100 sets built for the film by the animation team from Laika Animation Studio.
An example is one key sequence involving a foot-chase on a listing ship during a stormy sea crossing.
During scenes like this, stop to consider that what you are watching are actually plasticine models being incrementally nudged, and have your mind blown away by the artistry.
Missing Link is an entertaining animated adventure from the studio responsible for productions such as Kubo And The Two Strings, The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman.
While this movie is in the animation format, it is not the usual cartoon show for kids. It is adult-oriented and made for a slightly older group than primary schoolchildren.
Expect some violent scenes where guns are used, as well as a few character dying. One climactic sequence is particularly tense and terrifying when a villain threatens a grandmother and her infant grandchild at gunpoint.
There's a bit of flirting but no romance, although there are references to Sir Lionel's rakish past.
There are positive messages about friendship, identity and partnership and themes of empathy and teamwork, but given the storyline and the humour, Missing Link is better suited for perhaps 10-yearolds and above, and their parents.
While the big animation studios like
Pixar and Illumination continue to vie for CGI supremacy, Laika has quietly but consistently been working on the stop-motion format.
This is its fifth film, and it has proven that it is already a master of the painstaking claymation craft, with ambitions that are both modest and mighty.
While technically and artistically uninhibited, it is, admittedly, narratively more low key.
Perhaps that's deliberate, a counterbalance to the visual excitement. While the story feels simple, even a little slight, the real adventure is there all along.
But when you have such strong, disarming character work; such clever, subtle nods to the crimes of colonialism and old world conservatism; and such gorgeous art direction, the kind that swells the heart and nourishes the soul; you realise that Laika is a true treasure.
Here's hoping that its flame will keep on burning.