Missing Link

Missing Link is a 2019 American stop-motion animated adventure film written and directed by Chris Butler. It is produced by Laika and features the voices of Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Timothy Olyphant, Amrita Acharia, Ching Valdes-Aran, Emma Thompson, and Zach Galifianakis.

Plot
Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr Link, who is 8 feet tall and covered in fur, recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, the trio encounters their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world. Through it all, they learn that sometimes one can find a family in the places one least expects.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) More detailed and beautiful stop-motion animation for Laika films, like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, which is another step up of other Laika films, once again.
 * 2) Unlike the other Laika films, this movie doesn't have scary moments, which they have a light-hearted standard tone.
 * 3) The humour is very funny, which doesn't overused of too many pop-culture or gross-out jokes.
 * 4) Likable and awesome characters, such as Sir Lionel Frost, Mr. Link and Adelina Fortnight.
 * 5) The plot twist, like other Laika movies, were well-made.
 * 6) Even if it is tamest movie so far, it still has its fair share of terrifying moments.
 * 7) The movie averting the "Liar Revealed" trope is very commendable. In a different story, Sir Lionel would've hidden his intentions to bring proof of Sasquatch from Mr. Link, or underhandedly gone back on his word and taken him to London instead of Shangri-la. Rather, Sir Lionel is forthcoming about his motives and even finds a compromise with Mr. Link. The story took a whole new path because Sir Lionel is just that honorable.
 * 8) *When they part ways, it also subverts Adelina and Lionel getting together by the end of the story. It makes a point that in reality, it takes time to rebuild a relationship (especially when one of the party is a grieving widow) but that doesn't mean they are obligated to get together. Sometimes, the girl doesn't have to "get the guy" to have a happy ending.
 * 9) Some funny moments are well made, like Lionel casually insisting to his panicking assistant Mr. Lint to hold still, smile and say "cheese" while he takes a picture of Nessie. The way he goes about, you'd think Mr. Lint were simply fidgeting rather than fearing for his life that this monster could eat him. ...which it does so, in one bite!
 * 10) Willard Stenk has a villainous one for being a skilled fighter and adversary, despite being lanky and a few inches shorter than Sir Lionel.
 * 11) Amazing soundtrack. The end credits song Do-Dilly-Do (Friend Like You) is also great.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) There are some moments that can be dark for target audiences, like the villain dies, albeit rarely.
 * 2) It can be uncanny at times, like everyone's eyes are really high on their heads. It isn't so bad on the humans, but the Loch Ness and the horse are very jarring, and the seagulls? Brr...

Critical response
Missing Link received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised the animation, voiceover performances, humor and light-hearted standards compared to other Laika works, although some drew criticism towards the writing. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 7.17/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Another beautifully animated triumph for Laika, Missing Link is a visual treat with lots of humor, plenty of heart, and even a little food for thought.". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 81% and a "definite recommend" of 63%.

Box office
Missing Link grossed $16.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $9.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $26.2 million, making it a box office bomb, forcing a write-down of $101 million, and the fact that being released at the time Avengers: Endgame was crushing the box office.

Awards & Nominations
Missing Link was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Toy Story 4. However, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, making it the first non-computer animated film to win in the category, and the first non-CGI film to win a Golden Globe since Waltz with Bashir (2008).

Trivia

 * This is Laika's first film not to be distributed by Focus Features.
 * As with Sausage Party, this is the second animated film to produced by Annapurna Pictures. But unlike Sausage Party, this is actually the first film to have a kids film.