Missing Link
Annapurna Pictures | Release Date: April 12, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerApr 12, 2019
A delightful and polished stop-motion adventure-comedy and droll comment on colonialism. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzApr 9, 2019
The result is a narratively relaxed yet intensely tactile experience. Read full review
83
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerApr 12, 2019
As with so many Laika films, you’ll come for the breathtaking animation, and you’ll leave both enchanted and surprised by the big, beating heart beneath it. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichApr 3, 2019
Missing Link is a sweet, touching, and seriously fun adventure comedy about two lost souls who are struggling to reconcile yesterday with tomorrow in their bid to belong in a world that refuses to make room for them. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Simran HansApr 8, 2019
The film feels more like an elbow in the ribs than a slap on the wrist, revelling in the miscommunications between Susan the Sasquatch’s literal-minded monkey brain. Read full review
80
EmpireJohn NugentApr 3, 2019
A charming family-friendly story about adventure and friendship — told with bar-raising artistic craft and technical skill. We’d expect nothing less from Laika. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeApr 3, 2019
Sooner or later, Laika was bound to branch out, which makes this funnier, more colorful film the link previously missing between the company’s Goth-styled past and whatever comes next. Read full review
80
IGNSimon ThompsonApr 3, 2019
Anchored by first-rate storytelling, Missing Link is another jewel in the crown for Laika that leaves you satisfied and still ready for more. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerApr 10, 2019
Most of all, Missing Link is a perfect addition to Laika’s thoughtful blend of action, adventure, and heartfelt tales of growing up. Read full review
75
Original-CinJim SlotekApr 12, 2019
Not the most profound movie in Laika’s catalogue. But Missing Link is an entertaining 90 minutes, with glib dialogue that may skew a little old for younger viewers, but with maybe enough realistic physical comedy and terrific stop-motion animation to make up for it. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattApr 11, 2019
It all goes down easily if not exactly unforgettably; a wispy slice of hirsute whimsy. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonApr 10, 2019
It’s hardly a masterpiece — it’s a fairly simple tale, well-told, with a silly, derivative climax and rather disappointingly brief depiction of the Yeti culture. Yet it is blessedly devoid of the manic, ADD pace of many animated movies, with a winning trio of characters. As Commander McBragg might say, “Jolly good show!” Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerApr 3, 2019
It operates on its own little wavelength, rather than broadcasting itself loudly. Read full review
75
The Film StageJordan RaupApr 3, 2019
Laika’s craft makes the sweet-natured, grand adventure worth going on, but the accompanying dialogue from those leading the journey is ultimately too simple-minded to make a memorable mark. Read full review
70
The AtlanticDavid SimsApr 12, 2019
It’s filled with colorful characters, innovative creature design, and some of the most spectacular sets in Laika’s history. Read full review
67
The PlaylistKimber MyersApr 3, 2019
Missing Link is a fun, if uneventful and uninspired, trip, but at least it won’t annoy the parents who are along for its fast-paced ride. Read full review
63
Washington PostJane HorwitzApr 12, 2019
Although it breaks new ground visually, elements of the tale don’t always meld with grace. Read full review
63
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonApr 10, 2019
Result[s] in pleasant but forgettable results. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoApr 10, 2019
One quibble: For such a legendarily elusive spot, the snowmen’s Himalayan hideaway seems awfully well trodden these days. If you thought the similarity between, say, “Coco” and “The Book of Life” was a case of animators not looking resourcefully enough for inspiration, how about the trifecta of “Smallfoot,” “Missing Link,” and DreamWorks’s upcoming “Abominable”? Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenApr 10, 2019
“Link” is fun as far as it goes, but from Laika we expect something with a little more depth. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 8, 2019
But without the gags to enliven the travelogue, without more funny lines to lighten the load and impart that message, Missing Link feels like a missed opportunity. It’s the second animated stab at making comedy out of Big Foot and never much more than second best on the subject. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonApr 8, 2019
As in Laika’s other efforts, the humor in the film is more wry than gut-busting, but Chris Butler has developed some truly inventive comic characters. Read full review
60
Time OutTomris LafflyApr 11, 2019
This vintage tale of camaraderie flaunts an old-fashioned innocence and some endearing defiance, exemplified by its sweet original song “Do-Dilly-Do (A Friend Like You).” Read full review
60
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergApr 11, 2019
What’s missing from the movie, for all its technical skill, is simply inspiration — that extra touch of wit or imagination that might elevate it from a pleasant diversion to a rare sighting. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearApr 9, 2019
What you won’t be bowled over by, however, is the storytelling, which makes Missing Link the weakest link in Laika’s chain of movies to date. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeApr 4, 2019
But the storytelling is unevolved compared with the animation. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyApr 3, 2019
Laika may not be conquering the world with this outing. But if every studio’s three-star films were as bounteous with the eye candy, we’d be in clover. Read full review
60
TheWrapYolanda MachadoApr 3, 2019
Writer-director Chris Butler (“ParaNorman”) excels in his decision to direct the story with gorgeous, bright, bold colors but seems to flounder in telling his story in a way that resonates for children and adults. His script seems aimed at elementary school-aged children, with light-hearted and easy humor, but it fails to hold interest beyond a few scenes. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesCharles SolomonApr 11, 2019
Sadly, Laika’s new feature, Missing Link, fails to match the striking visuals and compelling characters in its Oscar-nominated 2016 film Kubo and the Two Strings. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenApr 3, 2019
One wishes the script might have shared the degree of precision that has obviously been applied to the technical side of the production, which is resplendent in visual dazzle from the smallest beads of sweat on a character’s forehead to the vintage knit fabrics to those sprawling exotic vistas. Read full review
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