Missing Link: The Underrated Stop-Motion Animated Gem That Made History

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As a huge animation fan, it feels like every year the best animated films come from the usual suspects – Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, you know the drill. But recently, Sony Pictures Animation has really been making a splash! They’ve had some incredible wins at the Oscars with movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Kpop Demon Hunters, and it’s awesome to see them getting the recognition they deserve.

While many animation studios are great, Laika deserves more recognition. They don’t make a lot of films, but the ones they do are consistently praised. Their popular movies include Coraline, Kubo and Two Strings, and ParaNorman, and they have another film, Wildwood, coming out in 2026. Even six years after its release, Missing Link remains a particularly brilliant, yet often overlooked, film.

Missing Link Is One Of The Best Modern Animated Movies

Released in 2019, Missing Link is a delightful animated film. It tells the story of Sir Lionel Frost and Adelina Fortnight, British explorers who journey to the Pacific Northwest in search of the legendary missing link – a creature said to connect humans and apes.

Mr. Link is a Sasquatch who teams up with explorers to search for his Yeti relatives in the Himalayas. The film presented some fascinating possibilities, and ultimately, it was well-received by critics.

Missing Link was a critical success, earning an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also received major award recognition, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and seven nominations at the Annie Awards. Few animated movies reach this level of quality.

Missing Link Was A Box Office Bomb

Despite being a well-made film, Missing Link didn’t find much of an audience in theaters and flopped commercially. It only earned $26.5 million worldwide, which is a disappointing result for an animated movie.

Considering its $100 million production cost – the most ever for a stop-motion animated film – Missing Link’s box office performance was particularly disappointing. That high cost created a lot of pressure for the movie to succeed, but unfortunately, it didn’t meet expectations.

Despite positive reviews, Missing Link didn’t perform well at the box office. It had the smallest audience and the largest budget of any film made by Laika, and ultimately lost the studio over $100 million. This is unfortunate, given the critical acclaim it received.

Even though it’s an animated film, the voice cast is a big deal. This movie boasts a fantastic group of actors, including Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldaña, and Zach Galifianakis. Timothy Olyphant, Stephen Fry, and Emma Thompson also lend their voices, making for a truly impressive ensemble.

History Was Made By Missing Link At The Golden Globes

Despite not being a box office success and fading quickly from public memory, Missing Link still achieved a notable accomplishment. While it didn’t win an Academy Award, it did win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.

Winning the award was a huge achievement for Missing Link, but it was especially significant because it was the first stop-motion animated film to ever receive the honor. Previous winners like Zootopia, Coco, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse were all created using CGI.

As a huge animation fan, I was thrilled when Missing Link took home the Golden Globe – it really felt like a win for the art of stop-motion. But it’s great to see the category getting more recognition! Last year, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio won the Golden Globe, and just like Missing Link, it was beautifully done with stop-motion. Even better, it went on to win the Oscar too, which was fantastic!

While Missing Link may not live up to all the initial hype, the filmmakers deserve praise for creating a truly excellent movie. It was a critical and commercial success, and remains enjoyable even years later. Missing Link is a fantastic animated film that everyone should see.

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2026-03-24 21:30