Missing Link is Worth Missing...

In many ways, stop-motion animation is a lost art. In the days of CGI and constantly advancing technology, not everyone has the time for the painstaking work of stop motion.

However, as brilliant and beautiful as this can be, it's not enough to take the time to film a stop motion animated movie if you aren't willing to also develop a strong story.

Enter Mr. Link - a Sasquatch from Washington who just wants to find where he belongs. Helped by the selfish, self-seeking Frost (Hugh Jackman) and widowed firecracker Adelina, Mr. Link travels all across the globe to solve the mystery of his own heart.

While the animation is truly beautiful, the sets stunning, and the stop motion a treat...that's where the positives of Missing Link end.

Boredom feels like an understatement for what the first two-thirds of this movie chalked up to be. I considered walking out, but decided against it, hoping the end would make up for its dismal beginning...and middle. 

While the final 20ish minutes were more heartwarming and interesting than all that preceded it, it wasn't enough to make up for the time wasted getting there.​

In the end, I think Missing Link's biggest dilemma arrived in that it didn't know what it wanted to be. Stop motion animation isn't limited to children-only storytelling, as presented to us by Wes Anderson and others like him. However, in a movie that had only children's movies advertised in the trailers, Missing Link straddled the line between genres.

The physical comedy served the children in the audience, as did Mr. Link's innocence. However, the dialogue (almost every written joke) aimed for the adults. The end result was a clash of inappropriate or juvenile attempts at humor that almost always fell flat. I saw this film in a theater full of children, and rarely did any of us laugh.

Positives:

• Stop motion animation
• Talented voice cast (especially Emma Thompson)

Negatives:

• Unclear genre 
• Boring story line
• Shallow plot
• Unlikable lead characters
• Inappropriate dialogue for age group
  
  

Rating:
1.5 feathers

Verdict:
If you're dying to see this movie - wait for free streaming.