Beautifully presented coffee table book dives deep into concept art, character designs storyboards and other materials from LAIKA’s new stop-motion feature film, ‘Missing Link.’
To coincide with the release of LAIKA’s latest stop-motion feature film tour de force, Missing Link, hitting theatres today, Insight Editions has just released “The Art of Missing Link,” a beautifully presented coffee table companion book to the film. Filled with concept art chronicling the film’s creation - including sketches, storyboards, character designs, and much more – the book also includes in-depth interviews with the film’s creative team as it takes a behind-the-scenes look at the studio’s fifth animated feature film.
LAIKA, the studio behind Oscar-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, utilizes cutting-edge technology to advance stop-motion animation in a hybrid of old and new techniques. “The Art of Missing Link” probes deep into the filmmakers’ meticulous process and showcases the one-of-a-kind artwork from the making of the film. The book is written by Animation Magazine editor-in-chief Ramin Zahed, who has covered the industry for more than 20 years. Veteran actor Stephen Fry shares his thoughts in the book’s Foreword, as does the film’s director, Chris Butler, in his Introduction.
In the film, Hugh Jackman stars as 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 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 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-humored conviction provide the emotional and comedic foundation of this fun-filled family movie.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
