From LAIKA, the animation studio behind the Oscar-nominatedKubo and the Two Strings,Coraline, andParaNorman, comesMissing Link, a stunning, epic, raucous stop-motion comedy out in theaters April 12th. Insight Editions and LAIKA have collaborated forThe Art of Missing Link, a must-have companion to the film featuring featuring concept art from the film’s creation—including sketches, storyboards, character designs, and much more.
I’m torn. On one hand, I want you to run out and see LAIKA’s new stop-motion animated filmMissing Linkas soon as humanly possible. On the other hand, I want you to have Insight Edition’s new companion book “The Art of Missing Link” cracked open in front of you ahead of time so that you may better start to appreciate the Herculean amount of work, artistry, and talent that went into making this movie. The book is available today, so my advice would be to pre-order the book, then see the film in theaters opening day, then read the 176-page tome to take a deep dive into everything you missed inMissing Linkbefore seeing the movie again ASAP. That’s the ideal way to embark on this particular adventure, in my humble opinion.
Written byRamin Zahed, with a foreword byStephen Fry(who stars in the film as Lord Piggot-Dunceb) and an introduction by the film’s Oscar-nominated writer-directorChris Butler(ParaNorman), “The Art of Missing Link” is a lushly illustrated collector’s item that goes behind the scenes of LAIKA’s new stop-motion adventure to showcase the studio’s cutting-edge technology, the filmmakers’ meticulous attention to detail, and the one-of-a-kind artwork from the making of the film. Zahed’s commentary is restrained here, opting to let the many and varied images tell the tale of the making ofMissing Linkalong with quotes from LAIKA’s talented team that point out details and reveal incredible trivia tidbits. One of the most striking layouts in the whole book is a series of side-by-side before-and-after shots revealing the on-set reality and the finished feature film frame, but there are gems on each and every page. I’ve gathered some of the awesome facts I learned from this book (complemented by my own visit to LAIKA for this movie), along with a shortspoilersection for folks who are reading this after seeing the movie. (Keep an eye out for my review ofMissingLinklater this week!)
But first! There’s anotherMissing Linktie-in book that you can pick up and read right now, a prequel story titled"A Smile for Sasquatch.“This short kids book, weighing in at only 32 pages, introduces the title character and his happy home. Wonderfully written bySteven Martenand beautifully illustrated byAaron Cushley, this Insight Kids title is an original story that captures the heart and the visual appeal ofMissing Linkwhile also telling of the power of words, the joy of companionship, and the universal urge to find one’s place in the world among friends and family. It’s a delightful short story that will also fill in some background on Link’s own tale, knowledge which turns a somewhat silly moment in the feature film into an even more meaningful one. Check it out today before you seeMissing Linkthis weekend.
Here’s just some of the insightful information we learned fromThe Art of Missing Link:
Here’s yourspoilersection, for those who are interested (highlight to read):
Missing Linkarrives in theaters on April 12th; keep an eye out for my review this week. Insight Editions' “The Art of Missing Link” and the prologue story “A Smile for Sasquatch” are available now.
