Laika Goes Deep In New MISSING LINK Trailer

Travis Knight may be busy saving the Transformers franchise from Michael Bay/itself, but Laika still has stop-motion movies to make. Following on from a first trailer that I admittedly thought was a little lackluster, this new showcase for Missing Link is more encouraging - focusing in a little more on that melancholic goodness that has driven Laika’s best films. You can see some of that here:

Chris Butler’s second feature as director for Laika after Paranorman, this looks to be a lot lighter and goofier in tone than the animation studio’s last feature Kubo and the Two Strings, a story which, in reductive terms, was about a child trying to avoid getting murdered by his aunts and his grandfather. At the very least, the animation looks gorgeous, with some vivid colours and some pretty spectacular stop-motion sets on display throughout the trailer. Hugh Jackman still seems like a good fit for an explorer with some more showman-like qualities, as does Zach Galifianakis as someone to balance bumbling comedy with more soulful moments.

We’ll get to see if Laika can retain their magic touch once Missing Link hits theaters on April 12, 2019.