Movie · 2019 · Family, Animation, Comedy, Adventure, Action · 1h 34m · PG · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (103.8K ratings)
Discover a comedy of epic proportions.
Overview
The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost considers himself to be the world's foremost investigator of myths and monsters. Trouble is, none of his small-minded, high-society peers seems to recognize this. Hoping to finally gain acceptance from these fellow adventurers, Sir Lionel travels to the Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature known as the missing link.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.6/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.25/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Metacritic: 68
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Chris Butler
Production
LAIKA, Annapurna Pictures
Cast
Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldaña, Zach Galifianakis, Stephen Fry, Timothy Olyphant, Emma Thompson, Amrita Acharia, Matt Lucas, Ching Valdes-Aran, David Walliams, Humphrey Ker, Adam Godley, Neil Dickson, Ian Ruskin, Matthew Wolf, Darren Richardson, Alan Shearman, Jack Blessing, Richard Miro, Leila Birch
Curator Review
Verdict
A charming, beautifully crafted stop-motion adventure with a warm heart and a playful old-school spirit, but the story is fairly familiar and the jokes don’t always land for adults. It’s easy to admire more than deeply love.
Best for
families looking for a gentle adventure
viewers who prioritize animation craft
fans of light buddy-comedy and found-family stories
audiences who enjoy whimsical monster-hunt tales
Skip if
you want sharp, layered writing over broad adventure beats
you’re allergic to formulaic family films
you need a high-energy comedy with constant laughs
you prefer animation that feels emotionally complex or edgy
Overview
Missing Link is one of those films that immediately announces the value of handmade animation. The textures, movement, and production design are consistently impressive, and Laika’s stop-motion artistry gives even familiar scenes a tactile charm that computer animation rarely matches.
Worth noting
Narratively, though, it plays very safely. The quest structure is familiar, the humor is broad, and the emotional arc is easy to predict. What keeps it afloat is the chemistry between its odd-couple leads and the film’s sincere interest in belonging, self-worth, and chosen family.
Bottom line
The result is a pleasant, well-made adventure that’s more delightful in pieces than as a whole. If you’re here for visual invention and a sweet, accessible tone, it delivers; if you’re hoping for a truly memorable script, it may feel a little thin.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Alex IHE (2.5★) · 1706 likes
These Laika movies are like the inverse of Marvel films, instead of being visually bland with great characters and chemistry, they’re stunningly beautiful and the stop-motion animation is insane, but my god do they have the most formulaic, one-note, limp scripts that have very little of interest to anyone that isn’t a child. This one is similarly fine, it has its moments, but I’ll forget about Missing Link the moment I post this review.
mia lee vicino (3★) · 909 likes
saw this in may and forgot to log it til now :/ all i remember is being the only one at the 1pm showing and feeling relieved because it meant i could eat the croissant i snuck in free of judgment. while doing so, i had the thought, “smuggling bread — call me Naan Solo” and laughed out loud to myself, which i could do, with reckless abandon, because i was alone! that’s all i can tell ya about this one, so sorry folks. i know how rabidly y’all were craving a 1000 word in-depth analysis of fuckin missing link
Karsten (3★) · 905 likes
Too harmless to get upset about but too harmless for its own good.
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 541 likes
Part “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” part “Mighty Joe Young,” and part “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” — to cite three of writer-director Chris Butler’s most explicit references — “Missing Link” is a sweet, touching, and seriously fun adventure comedy about two lost souls who are struggling to reconcile yesterday with tomorrow in their bid to belong in a world that refuses to make room for them. Set in the Victorian era but progressive in almost every major aspect of its narrative… more Part “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” part “Mighty Joe Young,” and part “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” — to cite three of writer-director Chris Butler’s most explicit references — “Missing Link” is a sweet, touching, and seriously fun adventure comedy about two lost souls who are struggling to reconcile yesterday with tomorrow in their bid to belong in a world that refuses to make room for them. Set in the Victorian era but progressive in almost every major aspect of its narrative… more