#LAIKA CHARACTERS MOVIE#

The movie feels like it wants to go in this direction but opts to keep Frost a gentleman by definition, robbing his character’s arc–and the story–of some of its teeth. Butler could have pushed Frost’s willingness to use those around him to achieve his own ends a bit more aggressively. If Missing Link has a shortcoming, it’s in the story. Susan, who is blind to Frost’s ambitions and sees him as a friend and boon companion who will help him to find his legendary cousins, the Yetis. Frost’s willingness to use others to achieve his ultimate goal (gaining admittance to the Optimates Club, comprised of veteran hunters and noble gentlemen, though I use those latter terms loosely) does not make him many friends. However, the negative aspects of his personality are thrown into sharp relief. Sir Lionel Frost is a classic Victorian English hero and adventurer, always immaculately dressed in a tailored suit, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice, and outfitted with both quick wit and an encyclopedic knowledge of his singular pursuit, in this case, cryptids. Writer/director Chris Butler’s original idea for Missing Link was inspired by Indiana Jones movies, Sherlock Holmes stories, and James Bond adventures you don’t have to look too hard to spot those references throughout the film. See also Keanu Reeves Is a Rockstar In Cyberpunk 2077 But don’t worry, there are also plenty of shootouts, chase sequences, and slapstick comedy along the way to keep things light and fun. That’s an easy-breezy sum-up of an adventure story that traverses iconic locations in the world circa 1900 but also navigates subtext like xenophobia, classism, and the anti-evolutionary precept of human exceptionalism. Along with fellow explorer Adelina Fortnight, the fearless trio weathers all manner of perils and ultimately learns that sometimes you can find family in the places you least expect. Missing Link follows the brave adventurer Sir Lionel Frost on a journey to find the legendary Sasquatch and reunite him with his long-lost relatives. Missing Link may be funnier, easier to follow for audiences of all ages, and visually bolder and more colorful than its predecessors, but its story is still imbued with the heartfelt emotion of LAIKA’s best. I couldn’t have been further from the truth. I was concerned that the studio, one of the rare sources of talent producing animated features that both children and adults can enjoy simultaneously, was heading in a more commercial direction at the expense of cerebral storytelling. Missing Link continues this trend and offers up LAIKA’s most adventurous and yet most accessible film yet.Īdmittedly, I was on the fence about Missing Link when its logline was first revealed. The one core similarity that runs through every LAIKA film, however, is an ambitious storytelling spirit anchored by charismatic and compelling characters. The studio’s award-winning animation techniques have also evolved from one film to the next so that no two pictures are alike. Four films with five Oscar nominations among them, four films that featured a mixture of genre, tone, settings, and original or adapted storylines. You Are Reading : Missing Link Review LAIKAs Excellent Adventure Film Is the Most Accessible Yetįor the last decade, LAIKA has delivered incredible works of art and artistry in the stop-motion animated films Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings. LAIKA’s stop-motion animation artistry has never been better, and it really shows on the big screen. ‘Missing Link’ Review: LAIKA’s Excellent Adventure Film Is the Most Accessible Yet

Laika characters