THINKING BIG
WHILE it seems there have been a sizeable number of cartoons trading in the legend of Bigfoot — there have been two in the past 18 months alone — none of them have ever got it right, or been all that memorable. Until now. A modestly striking stopmotion adventure, Missing
Link is the work of Laika Animation, a boutique studio whose track record ( ParaNor
man, Coraline) suggests it just doesn’t know how to do a dud.
The trend continues here, with truly innovative visual designs that stand as the best animation of any kind seen since Isle of Dogs.
Hugh Jackman and the whole of the voice cast help bring it to life in fine style too.
Zach Galifianakis has the role of Mr Link, a thoughtful and inquisitive Sasquatch who wants to live among his own kind instead of as a recluse whose actual existence is merely a rumour.
Enter Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman), a fearless 19th century British explorer who will guide Mr Link on a journey to find his long-lost Yeti cousins in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Though Jackman and Galifianakis (best remembered as the beardy weird one in The Hang
over) might seem like an unlikely double act, the pair really do click comically from the get-go in Missing Link.
Too many voice line-ups in animated productions are simply thrown together according to what names might look good on the poster. However. there is simply not a wrong pick among the cast assembled here (which includes the likes of Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry).
An emphatic yes for this one across all ages, particularly primary schoolers and toddlers.