Why We Think This Family Film is Going to Be One of the Best of 2019
Have you heard of stop-motion animation? I knew a little about it, but I didn’t realize that entire teams of movie-makers out there were physically moving puppets in small increments between individually photographed frames in order to create an entire film.
Move the puppet, take a picture. Move the puppet, take a picture.
It’s crazy to think about the amount of work it would take. But that’s what Missing Link is. And it’s a great family movie—coming to theatres everywhere April 12—with an incredible amount of love and labour put into it by people who are passionate about storytelling. (This is the latest feature film from the stop-motion animation studio, LAIKA, who is also known for producing the films Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings, and ParaNorman!)
Here’s Why We Think Kids & Parents Alike Are Going to Love This New Film
1. The Story
Mr. Link (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) is the hilarious title character in this comedy-adventure film that takes viewers around the world. Hugh Jackman is Sir Lionel Frost, a brave and dashing adventurer who considers himself to be the world’s foremost investigator of myths and monsters. Although, because none of his small-minded, high-society peers seem to recognize this, he travels to the Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature known as the Missing Link.
Most of us know about the legend of the Missing Link—a solitary creature who roams the forests of North America. In this film, it turns out that he’s a little too solitary. He’s the last of his kind, and he’s lonely. So, he enlists the help of Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a quest halfway around the world to the mountains of the Himalayas to find his long-lost relatives, the Yeti. (Side note: The imagery and cinematography they created of the world are stunning!)
2. The Mind-Blowing Attention to Detail
It’s a fun movie with laughs for both parents and kids, but the thing that struck me as incredible about this film is the passion behind it. Mr. Link is a larger than life, loveable and friendly character on screen. In real life, he’s a small puppet, made up of a nest of metal parts including a mechanical belly mover, a chest breather, squash and stretch devices and gears.
Every single detail of the movie was given so much attention. For example, all the fabrics for the puppet’s costumes were created in-house. Nothing was bought off the shelf—they created each little beautiful costume on a miniature scale for every single character.
Plus, there were more than 110 sets made for the puppets, 65 unique locations and 1,486 shots in the film.
That’s a lot of detail.
3. The Family Time
It can be hard to find a film that’s age-appropriate for everyone, and something everyone in the family can enjoy. I’ve suffered through some pretty terrible kids’ flicks just for the sake of family time. So, I love it when I can enjoy a movie and story as much as my three little kids can.
But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Grab a sneak peek for yourself here:
And if you’d like even more, here’s a look at the official trailer:
This post is brought to you by Elevation Pictures and Missing Link but the opinions are our own.
