Interview with the Cast and Filmmakers of Missing Link – Arrives in Theaters April 12th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, meets Sherlock Holmes meets Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

~ Chris Butler, writer and director of Missing Link

 

This post is in partnership with United Artists Releasing.

 

Arriving in theaters April 12th, fans of award-winning LAIKA Studio will have a chance to meet Mr. Link: 8 feet tall, 630 lbs, and covered in fur, but don’t let his appearance fool you… he is funny, sweet, and adorably literal, making him the world’s most lovable legend at the heart of Missing Link, the globe-trotting family comedy adventure from LAIKA.

Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Link recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost, voiced by Hugh Jackman, to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.

 

Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, our fearless trio of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world to help their new friend. Through it all, the three learn that sometimes you can find a family in the places you least expect.

 

 

 

Interview with Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis and Writer and Director, Chris Butler

 

Moderator: Well, I’d like to start us off with a question for all three of you, this Laika filmmaking process is so time intensive, so while you’re working on the animation and the dialogue, it must take a lot of imagination to, you know, finish what– imagine what this finished project is gonna look like when it’s all finished. So, I would really like to hear from each of you what the process of like is building these characters and then after a period of years finally seeing them coming to life. 

Chris Butler:  Well, I suppose it starts with me. I probably– maybe 15 years ago, maybe longer, I start with an idea, and you know I doodle in my sketchbook and writing little notes down. And over the years, I keep coming in and out of different ideas. And this one really started with a drawing that I did of Mr. Link, which has been described as a hairy avocado, with legs. And there was something about that drawing that I just kept coming back to, and people kept saying, “That is a very charming thing.”

And that really ended up becoming Mr. Link in this movie. But I’ve gotta say, you know, I’m writing it, and when I’m writing I’ve got this little movie playing in my head. So I have an idea of what I think the movie’s gonna be, but then I give these script pages to these guys and they come in and they turn it into something else. 

Suddenly, what I had on the page or in my head is something living and breathing and has its own identity that these guys bring to it. 

 

 

Moderator:  And what is that like, breathing this new life into these, you know, these babies of his? 

 

Zoe Saldana:  You’re making peace with the fact that you’re gonna have to wait four years. You’re gonna be like four years older, to see something is a little bit of a canker sore for me. But I love stop-motion, there’s just something that is just aesthetically pleasing. And when you hear that it’s time consuming, that means that only people that are a part of this world make the choice to be here.

So that means that there’s a level of commitment and passion and devotion and artistry that is invested in this form of art that Laika just refuses to let die. So, that is what attracted me in the first place to want to do it. I think I’m used to being a part of projects that take forever to make. And it’s always like leaps of faith.

 

But Chris Butler was very convincing and he was wonderful. And when he showed me all the reference pictures and I was able to see Adelina, I fell in love with the whole story of it.

 

And then he said that Zach and Hugh were already signed on, I said, “Okay, absolutely, yes, I’m gonna do it.” 

Zach Galifianakis: I’ve always wanted to play a hairy avocado, or I’ve been told I look like a hairy avocado. I wish it was hairy bravado, but it’s– you know, you do the voice– to me, and I keep saying it, the real characterization is the animation that happens from the voice. The genius of this stuff is to watch what they’ve done with your voice, and how the animator– is that what you call your– is that the correct, animator? What is the correct within stop-motion? 

Chris Butler:  The people who manipulate the puppets–

Zach Galifianakis:  –Yes–. 

Chris Butler:  –Then Yes, they are the animators. 

 

 

Zach Galifianakis: I’ve always wanted to play a hairy avocado, or I’ve been told I look like a hairy avocado. I wish it was hairy bravado, but it’s– you know, you do the voice– to me, and I keep saying it, the real characterization is the animation that happens from the voice. The genius of this stuff is to watch what they’ve done with your voice, and how the animator– is that what you call your– is that the correct, animator? What is the correct within stop-motion? 

Chris Butler:  The people who manipulate the puppets–

Zach Galifianakis:  –Yes–. 

Chris Butler:  –Then Yes, they are the animators. 

Zach Galifianakis:  The animators, the way they do the face with the voice is just– yes, it is really amazing hand-eye coordination I think. And you know, the voice we get to do, but it’s really– the magic to me is like, oh my god, they actually make me interesting.

So, that was the selling point for me, looking at the Laika films that they had done before. 

 

Blogger:  I have a question; what characteristics did you take away from each of the characters you played? 

Zach Galifianakis:  You know, the thing that I really like about Mr. Link, I miss it, is innocence. I miss it, and having kids you get to see it, you know. And I’m like, “Oh my god, what happened to me?” 

Blogger:  Well said. 

Zach Galifianakis:  And I think because he’s in the woods, he has an innocence and purity to him. Cause when he sees the outside world, what human beings have done, he’s like– that to me, if you’re in nature you have this purity, and this kind of wide-eyed type thing, and I thought that’s just the way this character should be played. And with Chris’, a lot of his help and patience, we got there, right? 

Chris Butler:  Yes, I think. 

 

Blogger:  I have a question. So, how far along were you when you pitched the idea to Travis Knight, how far was the story development? 

Chris Butler:  I actually did things a little differently on this. The pitch process is a tricky thing. I’ve got very certain ideas about it. I work with story artists at the studio who don’t pitch, because I’ve found that the pitch process can often be about performing, do a big performance rather than a great idea. And I’ve got some very quiet story artists with great ideas, but they wouldn’t be able to pitch. So, I prefer to just let the work speak for itself. So in this particular case, at the end of ParaNorman– Yes, I had three scripts, no, three first acts and I just kind of gave them to Travis without much explanation and said, “Pick one.” Yes, and I kind of had a favorite, luckily it was this. But I think he went for it for the same reason, cause it was different from what we’ve recently done. It had adult protagonists, it was brighter, bolder. 

Moderator: Yes, yes. 

Chris Butler:  Yes, there was definitely reasons why I think we gravitated towards this idea. But I just kind of left that up to him, like, you choose. 

Moderator:  There’s so much adventure, kind of going on what Zach said, I feel like the movie brings you back to that childlike fantasy with the maps and the coins and the–

Chris Butler:  –It’s all based on stuff I loved as a kid–.

Moderator:  –I was like right there with y’all. 

Chris Butler:  Yes. 

Moderator: So, it was brilliant. 

Chris Butler:  It’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, meets Sherlock Holmes meets Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

 

 

 

Practical Effects – Puppets and Rigging

Stop-motion puppets are typically built between 1/5th and 1/6th the size of their human-scale characters. This allows the internal structures to be strong enough to withstand a 2-year film shoot while the outer details are large enough to withstand the scrutiny of a cinematic camera and projector.

 

All of the puppets for Missing Link were built approximately 20% smaller than the puppets of previous LAIKA films. This scale difference allowed sets to be smaller and also kept Mr. Link, the largest character in the film, at an animator friendly size of 16” tall.

 

Each puppet utilized a unique jetpack – a remote turnbuckle device fitted to the hips and the small of the back – which allows for very small incremental movement by the animators.

Characters and Costumes

Writer/ director Chris Butler also designed the characters …he’s a triple threat on Missing Link. Costume Designers Guild nominee Deborah Cook (the only animated movie costume designer ever nominated for this prestigious award) designed all the costumes.

Mr. Link’s plaid suit is a nod to Northwest clothing conventions of the day, as well as weaving history, specifically the textile manufacturing companies White Stag and Pendleton, which were established in Oregon during this time period.

Adelina Fortnight, voiced by Zoe Saldana, represents the modern woman at the turn of the 20th Century. Independent and
adventurous, this revolutionary woman was popularized with the “Gibson Girl” illustrations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Meeting the Cast and Filmmakers

It was such an honor meeting Chris Butler, the writer and director!  He is so extremely talented and creative.  I felt like I was meeting a Walt Disney-type caliber creative genius.  I have to admit I was a bit of a fan girl!  Zoe and Zach were wonderful and took the time to take a picture with all the bloggers. It was a great day and I can’t not say enough wonderful things about this film.  It is truly one of my all-time favorite films!  The adventure, storytelling, characters and travels around the world is so exciting to watch and enjoy.  The movie takes you back to being a kid again where anything was possible.  You walk out of the theater feeling like you took the adventure with these richly developed characters in gorgeous lands.

 

Get Tickets Now 

#MissingLink hits theaters everywhere April 12. Get your tickets now! bit.ly/MissingLinkTix

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Timothy Olyphant, David Walliams, Emma Thompson, Matt Lucas, Ching Valdes-Aran, Stephen Fry, Amrita Acharia

Director: Chris Butler

Writer: Chris Butler

MISSING LINK – In Theaters April 12

Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | #MissingLink

 

 

 

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