MISSING LINK [2019] [Blu-ray + Digital Download] [UK Release]
An Exquisite Stop-Motion Animation Extravaganza!
Mr. Link is the altogether loveable and hilarious title character in this Globe-Trotting Comedy-Adventure from the Award-Winning Animation Studio, LAIKA Animation Film Production.
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. The trouble is, no one else seems to agree. He sees a chance to prove himself by traveling to America’s Pacific Northwest to discover the world’s most legendary creature. A living remnant of Man’s primitive ancestry – The Missing Link.
Zach Galifianakis is Mr. Link: the slightly silly, surprisingly smart and soulful beast who Sir Lionel Frost discovers. As species go, he’s as endangered as they get; he’s possibly the last of his kind, he’s lonely, and he believes that Sir Lionel Frost is the one man alive who can help him. Together they set out on a daring quest around the world to seek out Link’s distant relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
Along with the independent and resourceful Adelina Fortnight [Zoe Saldana], who possesses the only known map to the group’s secret destination, the unlikely trio embarks on a riotous rollercoaster ride of a journey. Along the way, our fearless explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril, stalked at every turn by dastardly villains seeking to thwart their mission. Through it all, Mr. Link’s disarming charm and good-humoured conviction provide the emotional and comedic foundation of this fun-filled family animated film.
FILM FACT: With the animated film ‘MISSING LINK’ [2019] it was announced on the 25th April, 2018 that LAIKA Animation Film Production had begun development on “Film Five,” a new animated film written and directed by Chris Butler and starring Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, and Zach Galifianakis. The film was set to be distributed by Annapurna Pictures in the United States. On the 7th May, 2018, it was announced that the film had been titled Missing Link and that additional voice actors would include Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Ching Valdez-Aran, and Amrita Acharia. Production was reportedly underway by May 2018 with LAIKA Animation Film Production 's artists having constructed over 110 sets with 65 unique locations for the film. On the 9th October9, 2018, Carter Burwell was confirmed to score music for the film. The soundtrack was released on the 12th April, 2019 by Lakeshore Records, the same day as the theatrical release. Overall, the budget was approximately $100 million.
Voice Cast: Hugh Jackman [Sir Lionel Frost], David Walliams [Mr. Lemuel Lint], Stephen Fry [Lord Piggot-Dunceby], Matt Lucas [Mr. Collick], Zach Galifianakis [Mr. Link], Timothy Olyphant [Willard Stenk], Zoe Saldana [Adelina Fortnight], Amrita Acharia [Ama Lhamu], Ching Valdes-Aran [Gamu], Emma Thompson [The Elder], Humphrey Ker [Doorman / General Pugh], Adam Godley [Lord Bilge], Neil Dickson [Doctor Roylott], Ian Ruskin [Lord Scrivener], Matthew Wolf [Lord Ramsbottom], Darren Richardson [Alfie], Alan Shearman [Lord Entwhistle], Jack Blessing [McVitie / Conductor], Richard Miro [Ricardo], Jaswant Dev Shrestha [Elderly Villager], Leila Birch [Old Worlder], Jean Gilpin [Old Worlder], Peter Lavin [Old Worlder), Christopher Neame (Old Worlder), Moira Quirk (Old Worlder], Maebel Rayner [Old Worlder], Alexander Rodriguez [Old Worlder], Julian Stone [Old Worlder], Nick Toren [Old Worlder], Kirk Baily [New Worlder], David Beron [New Worlder], William Calvert [New Worlder], David Cowgill [New Worlder], Kerry Gutierrez [New Worlder], Bridget Hoffman [New Worlder], Scott Menville [New Worlder], Erin Myles [New Worlder], Juan Pacheco [New Worlder], Paul Pape [New Worlder], André Sogliuzzo [New Worlder], Scott Whyte [New Worlder], Phal Tong Lama [Himalayan Villager], Yangchen Dolkar Gakyil [Himalayan Villager] and Tharlam Dolma Wolfe [Himalayan Villager]
Director: Chris Butler
Producers: Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight
Screenplay: Chris Butler
Composer: Carter Burwell
Cinematography: Chris Peterson (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Audio
English: 2.0 Audio Descriptive Service
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 94 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: LIONSGATE UK / AGC International / LAIKA Animation Film Production
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: the film ‘MISING LINK’ [2019], stars Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana and Zach Galifianakis lead an all-star voice cast in this globetrotting adventure from LAIKA, the makers of ‘Coraline’ and ‘Kubo and the Two Strings.’ 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. The trouble is no one else seems to agree. Zach Galifianakis is Mr. Link. As species go, he is as endangered as they get; he’s possibly the last of his kind, he’s lonely, and he believes that Sir Lionel Frost is the one man alive who can help him. Along with the independent and resourceful Adelina Fortnight [Zoe Saldana], who possesses the only known map to the group’s secret destination, the unlikely trio embarks on a riotous rollercoaster ride of a journey to seek out Mr. Link’s distant relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
Bursting with humour, heart, and a profound message of acceptance and finding one’s place, MISSING LINK is written and directed by Oscar® nominee Chris Butler (‘ParaNorman’). LAIKA’s head of production and Oscar® nominee Arianne Sutner (‘ParaNorman’ and ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’) is producing with Travis Knight, who earned an Academy Award® nomination and BAFTA win for his directorial debut on ‘Kubo and the Two Strings.’
The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost [Hugh Jackman] considers himself to be the world’s foremost investigator of myths and monsters. The trouble is none of his small-minded high-society peers seems to recognize this. Sir Lionel Frost’s last chance for acceptance by the adventuring elite rests on traveling to America’s Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature. A living remnant of Man’s primitive ancestry is “The Missing Link.” Zach Galifianakis is Mr. Link: the slightly silly, surprisingly smart and soulful beast upon which Sir Lionel Frost’s dreams depend. As species go, he’s as endangered as they get; he’s the last of his kind, and he’s lonely. Proposing a daring quest to seek out his rumoured distant relatives, he enlists Sir Lionel Frost’s help in an odyssey around the world to find the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
Together with Adelina Fortnight [Zoe Saldana], an independent and resourceful adventurer who possesses the only known map to the group’s secret destination, the unlikely trio embarks on a riotous rollercoaster of a ride. Along the way, our fearless explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril, stalked at every turn by dastardly villains seeking to thwart their mission. Through it all, Mr. Link’s disarming charm and good-humoured conviction provide the emotional and comedic foundation of this fun-filled family film.
In addition to Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana and Zach Galifianakis, the estimable voice cast boasts a roster of internationally renowned and award-winning actors from all corners of the world. Oscar® winner Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Timothy Olyphante, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Amrita Acharia and Ching Valdes-Aran bring their extraordinary talents to this globe-trotting animated spectacle.
MISSING LINK MUSIC TRACK LIST
DO-DILLY-DO (A Friend Like You) (Original Song Produced by Josh Kaufman, Walter Martin) (Horn Arranger: Stuart Bogie / String Arranger: Rob Moose / Percussion: Walter Martin / Guitar and Background Vocals: Josh Kaufman / Flute, Clarinet, Sax, Marimba, Background Vocals: Stuart Bogie / Strings Performed by Rob Moose / Drums and Percussion: Ray Rizzo / Piano and Organ: Sam Kassirer / Bass: Sam Cohen / Trumpet and Background Vocals: Jordan McLean / Trombone and Background Vocals: Raymond Mason / Sousaphone and Background Vocals: John Altieri / Background Vocals and Handclaps: Anna Nero), Elizabeth Ziman and Alecia Chakour)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – LIONSGATE UK, AGC International and LAIKA Animation Film Production presents us the animated film ‘MISSING LINK’ and the great thing about LAIKA Animation Film Production is the handmade quality of the features. For a Blu-ray release, it means having a chance to observe the fine level of detail that comes with their productions. You can really see all the little elements that helped bring this film to life, from the puppet designs to the various pieces of stitching on all the costumes. It all comes through very clear with a wonderful 1080p image and looks terrific thanks to a great transfer and in enhanced with the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Depth of field is captured very well here, with an amazing level of dimensionality that comes across very effectively. A stop-motion animated film like this has to be carefully framed, which all comes across so wonderful on this release. Shadows and black levels are totally terrific throughout the animated movie. The Victorian setting allows for a lot of totally unique architectural ideas, and the environments we see do a lot to speak to the lighting aspects, so there’s plenty to admire in the way darkness is handled. Colours look amazing. Costume design stands out especially really well, given how period-appropriate everything looks. Plus, just the look of these characters feels perfectly handled here. LAIKA Animation Film Production truly knows how to shine in making unique worlds and the colours on display is a big part of that.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – LIONSGATE UK, AGC International and LAIKA Animation Film Production brings us the animated film ‘MISSING LINK’ with an amazing 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Audio track. Given the adventurous nature of this animated film, there is plenty to enjoy as far as the audio mixing for this terrific soundtrack. The Carter Burwell composed score is fantastic, but the way this film relies on real sounds to add to every environment we see is splendid as well. The composed score has moments to challenge the different channels, as well as a couple of major action sequences. In particular, one sequence is set during a storm, on a large ship, and it has plenty to offer for your sub-woofer. The animated film ‘MISSING LINK’ is front and centre-focused, but you have plenty going on as far as the surrounding atmosphere. The balance is excellent, as you are never at a loss for getting to hear who is speaking, while still taking in the world around these characters. Everyone, human characters, Sasquatch, and Yeti, is all heard loud and clear.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Audio Commentary by Chris Butler [Audio only] [2019] [1080p] [2.39:1] [00:00] With this featurette, we get to hear from Screenwriter/Director Chris Butler and gives an expansive and immersive audio commentary that covers all the bases related to the movie. The design, inspiration, casting and production are all covered here. As the animated movie ‘MISSING LINK’ starts Chris Butler introduces himself and he says he wanted to start the movie very simple, with a single footprint in the snow. When Chris Butler was writing the screenplay, he wanted to call the movie ‘Seeking Shangri-La’ to be a pastiche of an adventure movie like ‘Raiders of The Lost Ark,’ but the movie was to stop out of the shadows and to be unabashedly, vibrant, colourful, and out of the shadows and into the sunshine type movie and a big influence was the publication National Geography that would promote new adventures and culture, so bringing a lot of vibrant colour into the movie. Christ Butler also wanted to give the movie an epic experience like the films of Sir David Lean’s spectacular cinematic feel to his movie and wanted to give the movie a time period and you get the feel from the horse drawn cart and handsome cabs, and to show Sir Lionel Frost’s place he lives in and the style of his many rooms with massive amount of images of other pioneering explorers. When we see Sir Lionel Frost pulls out all of his draws, Chris Butler mentions there is a lot of “Easter Eggs” for you fans of the movie out there. Chris Butler also informs us that he studied lots of “Big Foot” legends and the various names of big ape men around the world, but also says that he got very tied up with so much historical inaccurate information of these legends around the world. But despite this, the movie is about a talking Big Foot in a suite, but despite this, Chris Butler wanted to give you an impression of a believable world. Next we see Sir Lionel Frost on his trek through a forest, then Chris Butler it to look cool with blues and greens and suddenly we get the first glimpse of the “Missing Link” itself and wanted the “Missing Link” hard to pick out and then eventually we come face to face with “Missing Link” and Chris Butler also wanted the trees to look real with all the leaves on them and suddenly Sir Lionel Frost actually comes face to face with “Missing Link” and we don’t expect the “Missing Link” to be what we view, and Christ Butler praises the actor Zach Galifianakis for voicing the “Missing Link” character, but them Chris Butler says he wanted to have Sir Lionel Frost and the “Missing Link” to be like a Yin and Yang buddy movie, like the characters in a Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson films and wanted the characters to play off each other. But Chris Butler now talks about the actor Zach Galifianakis voicing the “Missing Link” and felt he did such a really good job when Zach Galifianakis went into the recording booth to do the voice of the “Missing Link,” and Chris Butler informs us that actually rewrote the script for the actor Zach Galifianakis to incorporate his style of speaking. Chris Butler also comments about the character Sir Lionel Frost in saying he is very eccentric and on the borderline of being very psychotic and wanted Sir Lionel Frost’s character to have a lot of issues to sort out and it is his link with the “Missing Link” turns Sir Lionel Frost into a much better person all round. Chris Butler says the scene with Sir Lionel Frost and the “Missing Link,” which were the first scenes they shot of the movie, and also felt what was awe inspiring is the animation of their facial expressions, which were on a totally different level and was also totally bespoke and every single shot was its own unique performance, which was a huge undertaking and there were in total of 106,000 facial expressions that Chris Butler was informed by his team, but on the other hand he says he could be wrong, but feels in reality that it might be twice that figure, and because of this wanted to show a very professional sophistication that we have not been able to do before. At chapter 16 we get to meet the character Adelina Fortnight who is voiced by Zoe Saldana and Adelina Fortnight is the old flame of Sir Lionel Frost who dumped her and Chris Butler says the character of Adelina Fortnight is a mixture of other legendary real life women explorers that you will find in the history books who went out exploring the world in the Victorian times. Chris Butler praises the wooden pioneer town that was massive n to that was all down to Kieron Thomas who was the character design and concept illustration artist, who did a massive professional job putting it all together, especially giving the movie a really good design, and a combination of wonderful colour, patterns and density and very simply done and also looks very elegant, even though it was all built out of drift wood, but despite this, it was quite a challenge for all the crew, but overall, Chris Butler wanted the saloon to look like a real life proper western saloon. Chris Butler also praises the other CGI characters and felt the people involved did an amazing job for the movie and says you can’t tell the difference with the actual built character puppets, but also praises the amazing sequence with the massive bar brawl in the saloon and how they managed to pull it off. At chapter 8 we are back in England and we are at the Explorers Club residence and says we Brits are not known for our humble aesthetics, because the members have been informed that the “Missing Link” has been found by Sir Lionel Frost and of course they are not at all happy with this news, meaning that they have been proved wrong and the “Missing Link” is alive and now on its way to Great Britain, and we see Sir Lionel Frost and the “Missing Link” on the train together and also see the “Missing Link” with his new costume so that he does not stand out. At chapter 8 we get to see Sir Lionel Frost meet his previous love of his life Adelina Fortnight voiced by Zoe Saldana, and Chris Butler thought the character Adelina Fortnight very interesting and it was very important that all these characters in this movie are displaced and do not belong where they should be. Chris Butler wanted Sir Lionel Frost and the “Missing Link” characters to work together like the silent comedy film characters like Laurel and Hardy and a real nod to Vaudevillian comedic characters and Chris Butler had a look at a lot of Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd silent comedy films. At chapter 10 we are now at the Santa Ana train station which has been based on the real Victorian Santa Ana Metrolink Station in Santa Ana, California and wanted to push the wonderful colours for the scene in the movie, because the real Victorian stations were all depicted as real pea soup fog with very thick and often yellowish, greenish or blackish fog like in the description of Victorian London when Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of London, but in reality it was a very colourful time. Chris Butler talks about the smoke effects out of shooting guns and the steam of the train pulling out of the station was for the backroom team to produce, but feels they did an absolutely brilliant job. But also says that designs of the characters was also a great challenge and whether they were going to work and also able to do what was needed and especially the difficult task of the characters face movements, so that they looked natural, and he also feels we shouldn’t of worried, as everyone worked as a team 100% and did an absolutely brilliant job because you are working with a lot of paper work and designs. When we see Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and the “Missing Link” on board the steam ship going back to England, Chris Butler says you notice a lot of close ups, which he really likes and really relishes, and also felt it was very unique for this movie, especially as the furniture is moving with the movement of the ship in the rough turbulent sea. What Chris Butler really liked and found unique is when Sir Lionel Frost and the “Missing Link” are on deck together, and Sir Lionel Frost is apologising to the “Missing Link” and he found that scene very beautiful, because he believes these characters are living, breathing characters he is viewing doing this audio commentary and felt it was his ultimate goal in making this movie, because he still wants these characters to be totally compelling and totally believable. Chris Butler also mentions Brad Schiff the American stop-motion animation supervisor and they both had a long conversation together about that they both wanted to achieve to make the characters totally believable on screen and now feels this has been achieved that experience many times over. On top of all that, at that moment in the movie, is where the “Missing Link" character mentions its name as Susan and Chris Butler feels this is the moment in the movie was vital to the movie’s meaning and also feels that the movie also says that your identity is what you give yourself an identity and it is not what people put upon you and that is what this scene in the movie is all about. Chris Butler mow talks about the ship all three characters are all on board bound for England and its name is the SS Manchuria that was a passenger and cargo liner launched 1903 for the San Francisco-trans Pacific service of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company which appeared in the film ‘Lost Horizon’ and in that movie the main characters escaped from Shangri-La. At that point in the movie we see a massive big storm happens and this is where Chris Butler felt he had to have a few action sequences like in an Indian Jones movie and felt he had to deliver the goods, On top of all that, Chris Butler felt to have an action sequence on the SS Manchuria in a violent storm and have some fun with the three main characters and people have said that the sequence was like a stop motion scene in the ‘Inception’ film and that he cannot deny and was definitely aiming for that sequence in the movie and aid that he wanted more action, but feels honestly that he has got that particular scene in the moview just right, and also feels that what he has achieved is very real, especially with the water of the stormy sea and feels it was the perfect action sequence in the movie and also far removed from reality and also the reaction of the water gas to feel like real stormy sea water and feels it is also very stylized sequences of events of the storm with the ship SS Manchuria. Chris Butler thinks the seagulls flying above the ship SS Manchuria in the sky is his favourite scene in the movie which was all achieved with CGI animation. Chris Butler also love the montage of all the maps we view, showing where Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan [Missing Link] were travelling to their final destination and Christ Butler wanted all the Victorian maps to be 100% accurate. When we see Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan travelling on the big elephant on their travels, Chris Butler says that the elephant and thinks it was the biggest puppet elephant ever created and also feels the backroom team created a really wonderful elephant and originally only wanted a short scene with the elephant and all three on the elephant to be a totally visually magical experience, and also creating this scene was bringing Sir Lionel Frost and Adelina Fortnight closer together again romantically, and Chris Butler originally felt the elephant filmed sequence wasn’t going to be that good, but he now feels that the backroom team did a totally brilliant and magnificent job, and also feels the backroom team nailed it conclusively. Chris Butler also feels the movie is a nod to those old fashioned ripping yarns of yesteryear and also a little bit of poking fun at the idea of exploration being anything other than a thinly disguised exploration. At chapter 17 we get to view a scene where the group meet a wise woman with a chicken on her head and Chris Butler explains in great detail why he wanted this scene to be viewed in the movie and he also felt it was very amusing what we view in this movie and relates to an article he read in a magazine of somewhere in the world where he read about an actual woman in a mountainous village that walked around with a chicken on her head and found it total amusing and that is why he wanted it included in the movie. At chapter 19 we get to see Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan on the mountain near to where Susan’s ancestors live and in the snow we see much bigger footprints and then suddenly three of Susan’s ancestors come out to meet Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan and take them to the Shangri-La to meet Susan’s ancestors and Chris Butler thinks what we view is a gorgeous magical moment of epic proportions, and also gave Chris Butler goose bumps. But sadly when Susan meets her ancestors, they are not at all civilised towards Susan and they throw Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan into an ice pit, but Susan helps Adelina Fortnight to go and get some help so Sir Lionel Frost and Susan can be rescued out of the ice pit and then to urgently make their escape, because Sir Lionel Frost wants to welcome Susan into his family and the chase by the much larger Missing Links is totally hilarious and also at the same time we have the massive chase by the much larger Missing Links after Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan and at times it is a total disastrous experience, but at one point the three of them are thwarted by three very nasty characters who do not want the three escapees getting back to England to reveal the truth. When we see the massive ice bridge collapsing in such a dramatic way, Chris Butler says, this was done 100% digitally and thought it looked totally spectacular and the three nasty evil baddies get their comeuppance in a totally justified way. But Sir Lionel Frost and Adelina Fortnight are saved by Susan in a very heroic way and Chris Butler says, that you want people to be lost in the sequence, and for the people to be compelled by their action with the three victorious characters, meaning of course Sir Lionel Frost, Adelina Fortnight and Susan and not really think about how it was all realised. But Chris Butler then says, but what we really have been building up to is a very simple moment where we are about to view and it is something the character like Sir Lionel Frost hasn’t been able to do throughout the entire movie and that is, shake hands, and finally Sir Lionel Frost and Susan shake the hands of their friendship and this is a movie about certain aspects that Chris Butler has wanted to achieve, in wanting to show the extended hand of friendship, and that way they are asking for fellowship to some degree. At chapter 24 Sir Lionel Frost receives a mysterious package, which you will have to watch the movie to find out what it is, and at that point Sir Lionel Frost signals to Susan that they are now both going on another fantastic exploring adventure into the unknown, and Chris Butler feels this final scene is setting up this type of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson friendship that they now have and the end of the movie. As The End appears, Chris Butler says, that there was a phenomenal voice cast actors and he cannot thank them enough and long before the movie was conceived, Chris Butler drew up a who’s who list of actors he wanted to voice the characters, and sometimes you get the actors you want and sometimes you do not get the actors you want and you try to get the actors that might be pretty busy, but Chris Butler feels he was very lucky enough to get the actors he wanted to voice the characters. Chris Butler also says, this was the first time I think I wanted stop motion animated end credits, and feels he has achieved the best end credits sequences with all the travel paraphernalia, and also says, I thought that by going the top motion route, that it would be a cool thing to do, and thought it might save me making an entirely second movie not in 3D and feels this movie was the most complex end credit sequence we have ever done and I do love it and I also love every moment of it, and feels it is the most stunning one I have ever done. Chris Butler mentions the song DO-DILLY-DO (A Friend Like You) we hear with the end credits and was not sure to use it, but he wanted a song that was catchy and relevant, which he personally felt the song achieved what Chris Butler wanted, because Chris Butler says the song sits very well for the movie and especially the end credits, and he also feels the song is a really lovely jazzy and elegant, but at the same time it is a very catchy song, that again agrees it is very 100%, and once you hear it, it will stick in your brain forever and that is what Chris Butler wanted in the end and is also a really lovely joyous song. Chris Butler love watching the end credits, because it shows the enormous talented people that help produce this amazing movie, and feels that stop motion animation is such a unique medium. Then Chris Butler says, so with everyone listening to this, which had anything to do with the movie, thank you, even if I have not mentioned your name, but despite this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart to my amazing tem of 450 strong crew that was instrumental in making this truly magnificent movie, and at that point this awesome audio commentary comes to an end and for me personally it has been one of the best audio commentary I have ever listened to and also for me I can really personally recommend you listen to it also, as you learn a lot from Chris Butler’s inner thoughts and this audio commentary definitely gets a five star rating from me. To also sum up this totally delightful and insightful Audio Commentary track that features lots of in-depth look into the creative process of the movie ‘MISSIN LINK’ that was courtesy of Screenwriter/Director Chris Butler and again be sure to give this amazing and very professional audio commentary track a listen, especially if you’re a big fan of this LAIKA Animation Film Production.
Special Feature: Creating Mr. Link [2019] [1080p] [2.39:1/1.78:1] [1:23] With this featurette, it goes behind the creation of the incredibly advanced, complicated, and technologically innovative puppet for Mr. Link, one of the most complex figures ever created by the LAIKA Animation Film Production. Contributors include: Chris Butler [Director/Writer], John Craney [Puppet Fabrication Supervisor], Brad Shiff [Animation Supervisor], Ollie Jones [Rigging Supervisor/ Visual Effects Artist]
Special Feature: Bringing the Final Battle On The Ice Bridge to Life [2019] [1080p] [2.39:1/1.78:1] [00:00] With this featurette, we take a look at the slippery scene of the climactic battle that had to be shot in stages of different scale owing to the scope of it. See how it all came together and see if you can watch all of the many moving pieces that the teams of animators and VFX artists had to keep track of. Contributors include: Brad Shiff [Animation Supervisor], Steve Emerson [Visual Effects Supervisor], Travis Knight [CEO and Producer], Chris Butler [Director/Writer].
Special Feature: Animation Inspiration [2019] [1080p] [2.39:1/1.78:1] [3:44] With this featurette, we are informed that before any animator gets to perform with these animated puppets, and the story itself starts with a script and concept art. This featurette pairs the final, finished scenes from the movie with stills from concept art and other real-world inspirations. Usually, this art is meant to generate a feeling and aesthetic more than a visual guide for the final scene, but these stills are faithfully represented on-screen. Please Note: You have the Optional Audio Commentary by Chris Butler.
Special Feature: VFX Breakdown Real – Realising the Potential of Stop Motion [2019] [1080p] [1.78:1/2.39:1] [6:05] With this featurette, we find out about the impressive animated puppet fabricators and animators are, there’s an equally talented team of VFX artists behind-the-scenes that marry the real-life stop-motion shots with visual effects like scene extensions, additional environmental effects, and characters that couldn’t be replicated with physical puppets. Contributors include: Steve Emerson [Visual Effects Supervisor at LAIKA].
Special Feature: Oh What A Mystery: Pulling the Camera back on Missing Link’s Magic [2019] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:25] With this featurette, we get to view LAIKA animated studio usually end with a montage of scenes that shows the animators working at hyper-speed in order to capture the one-frame-at-a-time stop-motion animation process. It really puts into perspective just how much work and artistry goes into making these animated films.
Special Feature: Inside The Magic Of LAIKA [2019] [1080p] [2.39:1/1.78:1] [2:45] With this featurette, we take a look back at the history of LAIKA with creative team members like Travis Knight and cast members Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, and Zach Galifianakisas where they explore the past and present of the amazing Award Winning stop-motion LAIKA studio, along with plenty of behind-the-scene look at the animation ‘MISSING LINK’ in progress. Contributors include: Travis Knight [LAIKA President / CEO / Lead Animator], Hugh Jackman [“Sir Lionel Frost” in ‘MISING LINK’], Zoe Saldana [“Adelina Fortnight” in ‘MISING LINK’] and Zach Galifianakis [“Mr. Link” in ‘MISING LINK’].
Special Feature: Making Faces [2019] [1080p] [1.78:1] [0:46] With this featurette, we get to view a brief little clip that shows all of the many faces used in the making of the animated film ‘MISSING LINK,’ and along with a sampling of their voices and range.
Special Feature: Gallery [2019] [1080p] [1.37:1] [0:00] With this featurette, we get to view a series of stunning array of 24 still images relating to the LAIKA studio animated film ‘MISSING LINK’ and mainly consists of behind-the-scene images of staff working on the mechanical puppets.
Finally, the amazing animated film ‘MISSING LINK’ from the brilliant and inventive LAIKA Animation Film Production, and not surprisingly, I really enjoyed this animated film. It's a great story and something that you could watch with the whole family. This is another great LAIKA Animation Film Production addition to the home entertainment marketplace and especially now honoured to be adding the ‘MISSING LINK’ animated film to my other amazing LAIKA Animation Film Production Blu-ray Collection! Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
