Annapurna has discovered a release date for Laika’s Missing Link animation

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Annapurna Pictures has set April 19, 2019 as the date for when animation enthusiasts can look forward to being introduced to MISSING LINK, the fifth animated film from LAIKA Studios. The upcoming stop-motion/CGI-animated feature stars Zach Galifianakis as Mr. Link, the slightly silly, surprisingly smart and soulful beast who is the last living remnant of Man’s primitive ancestry, the Missing Link.  As species go, he couldn't be more endangered; he’s the last of his kind and he’s lonely. Proposing a daring quest to find his rumored distant relatives, he enlists the help of Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), the world’s foremost investigator of myths and monsters, and Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), who possesses the only known map to the group’s secret destination, in an odyssey around the world to find the fabled valley of Shangri-La.

Hailed as a project that's bursting with humor, heart, and a profound message of acceptance and finding one’s place, MISSING LINK sounds like it's the perfect addition to LAIKA's library, of which includes the films: CORALINE, PARANORMAN, THE BOXTROLLS and KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS. Directing MISSING LINK from his own script will be Chris Butler (PARANORMAN). Meanwhile,  LAIKA’s head of production and Oscar nominee Arianne Sutner (PARANORMAN, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS) is producing with Travis Knight (BUMBLEBEE), LAIKA's President & CEO,.

Joining Jackman, Saldana and Galifianakis for LAIKA's next fanciful adventure are Emma Thompson (LOVE ACTUALLY), Stephen Fry (THE HOBBIT), Timothy Olyphant (SANTA CLARITA DIET), Matt Lucas (DOCTOR WHO), David Walliams (LITTLE BRITAIN), Amrita Acharia (GAME OF THRONES) and Ching Valdes-Aran (NURSE JACKIE).

We'll be sure to bring you more information with regard to LAIKA's MISSING LINK as it becomes available. In the meantime, there's plenty of wonderful animations to enjoy from the revolutionary studio, so be sure to seek those out.

Source: Annapurna Pictures

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.