Missing Link Parent Guide

Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is desperate to prove the existence of all manner of fantastic beasts, from mermaids to unicorns, and even the Loch Ness Monster. Frost hopes to use this evidence to earn admission to an exclusive club for famous adventurers, “The Optimates Club”. Unfortunately for Frost, his entrance to the club is heavily opposed by its leader, Lord Piggot-Dunceb (Stephen Fry), who makes a wager with Frost, guaranteeing acceptance if he can prove the existence of Bigfoot. As Frost leaves, Lord Piggot-Dunceb immediately sets out to sabotage him, hiring diminutive hitman Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant) to track him down. When Frost finds the Bigfoot, who assumes the name of Susan Link (Zach Galifianakis), Frost makes another deal: he will help Susan find a new home, and in return, Susan will give him some samples to take back to the Optimate Club to prove his existence.

I’ll start with my gripes, since they’re pretty minor. First, the plot is basically just a reworking of Jules Verne’s classic novel, Around the World in 80 Days, but with a lonely Sasquatch replacing Passepartout. Second, the film builds a lot of jokes around Susan’s tendency to take everything literally, which for me, stopped being funny back when Star Trek was doing that with Data.

Otherwise, Missing Link is a fun and surprisingly charming kids’ movie. The voice cast is superb, and Hugh Jackman is clearly having a blast. While some of the jokes fell a little flat, by being too complex for younger viewers and too dumb for parents, others got laughs from the whole theater.

The highlight of this film is its unique style, which weds colorful stop motion animation with computer graphics to create a beautiful and intriguing world. Not only are the characters’ appearances and animation synced perfectly to their vocal performances, but the set pieces and overall visual design are just as eye-grabbing. Frankly, the animation is what sells a lot of the humor, and it would be a much weaker film if it were all done on a computer.

There is little here for parents to be concerned about, although some of the violence and action might frighten very small children. That said, the little one sitting behind me was about three years old, and handled it all just fine. Kids’ movies can be tedious for the parents who have to take them, but Missing Link is one that anyone over voting age will not just endure but enjoy.