Laika’s Next Film, ‘Missing Link,’ Gets First Photo and Full Voice Cast Annoucement

It’s been a couple years since we’ve seen a new film from the imaginations at Laika following the magical Kubo and the Two Strings. But the animation studio is hard at work on their next and fifth feature, and it’s said to be different from anything Laika has put out so far.

At the kickoff for Cannes today, the studio announced the official title, release date, full voice cast, and first look photo for their next technical wonder. Missing Link will be the fifth film from the studio, starring Hugh Jackman voicing Sir Lionel Frost, an explorer of mythical creatures. He sets out on a journey to the Pacific Northwest to prove man’s primate ancestry, where he discovers Missing Link, a “soulful beast” voiced by Zach Galifianakis who’s the last of his kind, according to Variety.

Laika chief Travis Knight described the film as “a raucous comedy entwined with a swashbuckling epic, underscoring the universal need to find belonging.” Director Chris Butler (ParaNorman) teased Galifianakis’ funny and vulnerable voice performance, according to Screen Daily. We also got our very first look at the film out of the festival today, which shows Galifianakis’ Yeti-like creature peeking out from a tree in a lush forest.

The rest of the voice cast is stacked with familiar names, like Zoe Saldana, playing adventurer Adelina Fortnight, in addition to Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Ching Valdez-Aran and Amrita Acharia. If you loved Kubo, The Boxtrolls, and Coraline, this is definitely one to keep an eye on. Missing Link hits theaters Spring 2019.