Written and directed by Chris Butler, MISSING LINK is an entertaining story. This is a classic Laika. Parts of the foreground and background are 3-dimensional against a painted image for depth. They also like to have things look boldly colored to show to have some nice contrast. Characters and animals also have disproportionate bodies and this is something of a trademark from the animation studio.
The voice cast has been perfectly chosen. The thin and proper explorer Frost is voiced by Hugh Jackman. He has that arrogant, and yet, the charming voice that the character absolutely needs. His opposite is Mr. Link and because he is a Sasquatch, who better to be the beast than Zach Galifianakis? He is furry, funny, and has a kindness to him that is quintessential to Mr. Link’s personality.
Cast
Zach Galifianakis – Mr. Link/Susan
Hugh Jackman – Sir Lionel Frost
Zoe Saldana – Adelina Fortnight
Stephen Fry – Lord Piggot-Dunceby
Timothy Olyphant – Willard Stenk
Emma Thompson – the Yeti Elder
Amrita Acharia – Ama Lahuma
Matt Lucas – Mr. Collick
David Walliams – Lemuel Lint
VIDEO QUALITY:
The video is a 1080p AVC presentation that looks incredible. Laika is known for the meticulous details and intricacies that go into their character models. That being said, this might be their best looking film yet. The textures of the fabrics and the look of skin on the people/creatures/environments. You begin to lose the idea that this is an animated film from the care put into the film alone. Honestly, the transfer is flawless.
AUDIO QUALITY:
The audio is a Dolby Atmos mix and defaults to a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix depending on the equipment. The mix does create an immersive environment but there are only a few movements which utilize the overhead channels. The scene where Frost rides Nessie has some wonderful movement of water as the scene goes on. Effects are bold and thrive in the standard channels. The dialogue is well prioritized and works with the effects.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING
-Audio Commentary: with Chris Butler-Creating Mr. Link: This is a quick piece about the creation of Mr. Link.
-Bringing the Final Battle on the Ice Bridge to Life: This is how the final scene was put together.
-Animation Inspiration: This has optional commentary by Chris Butler and it shows how the movie is animated vs the storyboards.
-VFX Breakdown Reel – Realizing the Potential of Stop Motion: This shows how Laika does films.
-Oh What a Mystery – Pulling the Camera Back on Missing Link’s Magic: This is a time-lapse shot of a scene.
-Making Faces: This is messing with some of the faces of the characters.
-Inside the Magic of Laika
-Gallery
-Theatrical Trailer
Disc Details
2-Disc Set w/ 1 Blu-ray and 1 DVD
Digital Copy
Running Time
94 min
Edition Ratings
Rated PG
Region Coding
Region A
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Mixes
English Dolby Atmos
English Dolby TrueHD 7.1
English Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English SDH
Spanish
