Missing Link is the most divisive film in Laika’s catalog, not because anyone thinks it’s bad, but because opinions differ on whether it’s a welcome change of pace or a step away from what makes the studio special. Chris Butler’s globe-trotting adventure comedy abandons the darker, more emotionally complex territory of Coraline and Kubo for something lighter, funnier, and more conventional. The result is a film that’s easier to enjoy than it is to remember, a beautifully animated adventure that works perfectly well without ever reaching for greatness.
The critical reception was strong, with an 88% approval rating and a surprise Golden Globe win for Best Animated Feature. The audience response was similarly positive, with a “B+” CinemaScore. But the box office told a different story: Missing Link earned only $26 million against a $100 million budget, making it the most commercially unsuccessful Laika film and one of the biggest animated flops of the decade. The quality was never the problem. The audience simply didn’t show up.
A Beautiful World, Handsomely Animated
The animation is, predictably for Laika, extraordinary. The studio’s stop-motion work reached new levels of color and scale with Missing Link, and the globe-trotting structure gives the animators opportunities to build diverse environments from the Pacific Northwest to the Himalayas. Each location is rendered with a level of detail and beauty that reminds you, frame by frame, of the incredible labor involved in stop-motion filmmaking.
Mr. Link himself, a gentle, literal-minded Sasquatch seeking to connect with his Yeti relatives, is an immediately endearing character. His innocence and social awkwardness provide consistent comedy, and the contrast between his enormous physical presence and his sensitive personality is charming without becoming cloying. The voice performance brings warmth and humor to every scene.
The buddy dynamic between Link and the vainglorious explorer Sir Lionel Frost provides the film’s comic engine. Frost’s self-importance and Link’s guileless sincerity bounce off each other effectively, and the film finds consistent laughs in their mismatched partnership. The addition of Adelina Fortnight as a capable, no-nonsense counterpoint to Frost’s bluster rounds out the central trio nicely.
The action sequences are inventive and well-paced. A crumbling bridge, a ship in a storm, and several chase sequences all demonstrate Laika’s growing ability to stage dynamic physical comedy within the constraints of stop-motion animation.
The Lightness Has Its Limits
The film’s lighter tone means it lacks the emotional weight that defines Laika’s best work. The stakes are relatively low, the character arcs are predictable, and the themes of friendship and acceptance are handled competently rather than with the nuance the studio has shown it’s capable of. The film is fun without being memorable, and that’s a significant step down from Coraline or Kubo.
The humor can feel forced in places. Some of the comedy relies on Mr. Link’s literalism and social miscues in ways that become repetitive across the runtime, and the villain, a big-game hunter with ties to an exclusive explorers’ club, is more functional than threatening. The comedic energy is consistent but not consistently inspired.
The film’s structure as a globe-trotting adventure means it never settles into any one location long enough to build the atmospheric depth that characterizes Laika’s strongest films. The environments are beautiful but transient, and the film trades the immersive world-building of Coraline or The Boxtrolls for a travelogue structure that prioritizes variety over depth.
The resolution, while satisfying, arrives without the emotional impact that the studio’s best finales achieve. The film wraps up its character arcs neatly but without the kind of surprising or bittersweet twist that makes Laika’s endings linger.
Laika’s Commercial Puzzle
Missing Link represents a paradox for Laika: the studio made its most accessible, crowd-pleasing film, and it performed worse commercially than their darker, more challenging work. The film’s failure at the box office led to significant discussions about the viability of Laika’s theatrical distribution model and the challenges facing original animated properties in a market dominated by sequels and established franchises.
The Golden Globe win for Best Animated Feature, beating out How to Train Your Dragon 3 and Toy Story 4, was a surprise that validated the film’s quality even as its commercial performance suggested otherwise. The disconnect between critical recognition and audience turnout remains one of the more puzzling chapters in recent animation history.
Should You Watch Missing Link?
If you enjoy well-crafted animated films and appreciate Laika’s commitment to handmade stop-motion, Missing Link is an enjoyable watch. It’s lighter than the studio’s other work, which makes it a good choice for younger viewers or for anyone looking for something pleasant and undemanding. The animation alone is worth the experience.
Skip it if you’re specifically drawn to Laika for their darker, more emotionally complex storytelling. Missing Link is the studio’s safest film, and viewers who love Coraline or Kubo for their willingness to take risks may find this entry too conventional to fully satisfy.
The Verdict on Missing Link
Missing Link is a pleasant, well-crafted adventure that demonstrates Laika’s technical brilliance while underselling their storytelling capabilities. The animation is beautiful, the characters are likable, and the humor is consistent enough to sustain the runtime. It’s the studio’s lightest film, and that lightness is both its accessibility and its limitation. Missing Link won’t change your life or linger in your memory the way the studio’s best work does, but it will entertain you for 93 minutes with warmth, humor, and some of the most impressive stop-motion animation ever produced. For a lesser studio, that would be a triumph. For Laika, it’s a pleasant detour.