Monday, March 2, 2020

Missing Link (2019)


Academy Awards, USA 2020

Nominee
Oscar
Best Animated Feature Film
Chris Butler
Arianne Sutner
Travis Knight

United Artists
Directed by Chris Butler
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, MGM/Fox)

In the late 1800s, a British scientist is determined to make a name for himself by proving the existence of a mythical creature. After receiving an anonymous letter, he heads to Washington state in search of the Sasquatch. It turns out he is a friendly, intelligent talking fellow, who also wrote the letter. He convinces the explorer to take him to the Himalayas to live with others of his kind, the Yeti. They need a map from his old girfriend, so she comes along as well. They are pursued by a bounty hunter hired by a rival scientiest. In the Himalayas, they find a Queen who locks them up rather than risk revealing their location. They manage to escape after some extended fighting scenes. Fifth animated film from the Laika studios is probably their least successful. The deadpan delivery of Zach Galiflanakis as the "Missing Link" seems rather miscast and is rarely funny. The mouth animation needs work, as I was distracted by the mismatch with the voices.