Very enjoyable for 5 year old grandsons and their grandpas alike, MISSING LINK is a fun 90 minute adventure loaded with voice talent.
Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman) is Sir Lionel Frost, explorer of the odd and unknown.
The movie opens with a very funny encounter with the Loch Ness Monster before moving on to a quest for the Missing Link.
Lucky for us, Mr. Link is very tall, well spoken, witty and voiced by Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover).
Mr. Link (or Susan as he'd like to be known, perhaps the best running name gag since Stan wanted to be known as "Loretta" in "The Life of Brian") wants to reunite with his much colder Yeti cousins.
It's a nice set up for cross country adventures that Jackman and Zach milk for every laugh.
Fans of "Little Britain" like me will love hearing David Williams and Matt Lucas reunited as two members of the Men's Club that's tired of Sir Lionel's exploits.
Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar) nicely rounds out the cast as explorer Adelina Fortnight, staying ahead of the boys on their voyage to Shangri-La.
Writer/Director Chris Butler is no stranger to animation, with "ParaNorman", "Coraline" and "Corpse Bride" under his watch.
He's moved from Tim Burton territory to softer family fun, but still brings plenty of quirky, adult oddity to the settings.
With loads of physical comedy that play to every age, it's a fast moving, enjoyable afternoon, with some nice, softly added lessons on acceptance and friendship in the mix as well.
Much of the wit is aimed squarely at the adults without pandering to the kids.
The stop motion animation is really beautiful to watch, with movement so different than CGI it feels like another artform. Imagine TV's "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" with a much bigger budget and HUGE sets.
We both really enjoyed MISSING LINK and give it a solid B (and two thumbs up from my buddy).
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