Missing Link the movie in theatres April 12

Travel and accommodations provided by United Artists Releasing but did not impact my views or opinions within this post.

Missing Link In Theatres April 12th!

Missing Link is a globe-trotting family comedy adventure starring the multi-talented Hugh Jackman, the uber-versatile Zoe Saldana, and the hilarious Zach Galifianakis.  It is the most ambitious stop-motion animation movie to date from LAIKA Studios.

We had the opportunity to get an up-close look at the movie when we toured the Missing Link set at LAIKA Studios in Portland, OR.  LAIKA is devoted to telling new and original stories such as their Oscar-nominated films Kubo and the Two Strings and Coraline.  With Coraline, LAIKA became the first studio to produce a feature-length film using replacement faces printed on a 3D printer.  Instead of ink on paper, 3D printing uses a UV-sensitive resin and support material that is sprayed down in a layering process that builds objects in 3D space.

Brian McLean – Director of Rapid Prototyping

Brian was awarded a Scientific and Engineering Oscar® plaque in 2016 for pioneering the use of 3D printers in stop-motion animated characters. In 2017, he received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Visual Effects for his contributions to Kubo and the Two Strings.

Mr. Link voiced by Zach Galifianakis in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release.  Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

About the Movie

MISSING LINK – In Theaters April 12

This April, meet Mr. Link: 8 feet tall, 630 lbs, and covered in fur, but don’t let his appearance fool you… he is funny, sweet, and adorably literal, making him the world’s most lovable legend at the heart of Missing Link, the globe-trotting family comedy adventure from LAIKA. Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Link recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, our fearless trio of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world to help their new friend. Through it all, the three learn that sometimes you can find a family in the places you least expect.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Timothy Olyphant, David Walliams, Emma Thompson, Matt Lucas, Ching Valdes-Aran, Stephen Fry, Amrita Acharia

Director: Chris Butler

Writer: Chris Butler

Producers: Travis Knight p.g.a., Arianne Sutner p.g.a.

Watch the Trailer Here!

Missing Link Costume Design

“The film is based between 1890 and 1910 on the turn of the century.  At the time there were a lot of big changes going on in costume, fashion, and design techniques.” – Missing Link Costume Designer, Deborah Cook.

Deborah informed us that it is typically the lead characters' costumes that take the longest to make due to there being so many different levels of their character being explored and represented.  She detailed her process of reading through the script, breaking out all of the things that need to done with the character, writing down all of the actions of the characters, taking note if there are any descriptions of their costume written within the script, and lastly looking for details of the characters' personalities that drives what they should be wearing to support their role – – all of which would need to be considered in the designing of the costumes.

All of us that toured the Missing Link set were extremely impressed with the complexity of details involved with the creation of the costume design. I definitely admired the patience once must have to create such tiny costume masterpieces that play an integral part in the success of stop-animation movies.

Here is a quick behind the scenes look at Missing Link's costume design:

Four Fast Stop-Motion Animation Film Facts:

What exactly is the stop-motion animated film process?

Stop-motion is an animated-film making technique where objects are physically managed in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion when the series of frames is played back as a fast sequence.

• As stated above, stop-motion animated films are shot in individually photographed frames. The entire film is shot via individual photographs!  That is amazing to me. This is the camera that is used at LAIKA studios to capture all of the individual photos to make the award-winning films that they do:
  
• Stop-motion animated films can take up to three years to create. From writing the story, building the puppets, costume design, recording the voices characters' voices, creating the set displays, and shooting the individual photographs (and soooo much more – I am over-simplifying here) —  it literally is a step-by-step process.  I believe everyone involved with making these types of movies must have the patience of a saint. All of their hard work definitely pays off in the end because the movies keep getting recognized in the film industry with multiple awards.
• When are the characters voices recorded for a stop-motion animated film?  One of the many things that I found interesting while on the Missing Link set was finding out that 95% of the actors' voices for the movie are recorded before any of the production has begun.  Then, 2-3 times during filming as needed

A legendary friendship is formed and an epic adventure is ready to begin.
Tickets are on sale now for #MissingLink, in theaters everywhere April 12.
Get your tickets today by clicking: HERE

Sir Lionel Frost (left) voiced by Hugh Jackman and Mr. Link (right) voiced by Zach Galifianakis in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release.
Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

Get Social with Missing Link!

Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | #MissingLink

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Autumn Murray is the Lead Travel Writer for Divine Lifestyle
and the Founder of Simply Amazing Living online lifestyle magazine.
Click here for more of her articles:  Simply Amazing Living