Missing Link

[TheGentTrent]

Looks like another gem from Laika. Which of course, means people aren't going to see it.

 

[Viator]

Ultra bump, I know..but..

Missing Link beated Disney at the Golden Globes. When three of their films, were nominated for Best Animated Film.

 

[Nick]

Definitely a major upset. I haven't seen the film so I can't comment, but I do have to wonder if the fact that 3 Disney films being nominated ended up in massive vote splitting, which ultimately helped Missing Link.

 

[bob albert]

I dont know how this studio doesn't go bankrupt if they keep making so little money.

 

[TheGentTrent]

I dont know how this studio doesn't go bankrupt if they keep making so little money.

They’re definitely on the verge of going under after losing their C.F.O. last year.

At this point, is there any wonder why Universal parted with the company?

 

[Attraction Ideas]

Laika's CEO is Travis Knight who is the son of one of the co-founders of Nike (who also happens to be one of the richest men in the world). To put it plainly, Laika does not need to generate massive box office revenue to keep the company afloat so long as the Knights are involved.

To my understanding, Travis Knight is only concerned about making top-notch, innovative stop-motion animated films that will not only advance the medium and better the industry, but will also serve as a vessel for him to get other big time directorial gigs such as Bumblebee and the upcoming Six Million Dollar Man movie starring Mark Whalberg.

So at some point Travis may see no value in keeping Laika alive but for now at least, they will continue to be the top stop-motion animation studio for years to come.

 

[Clive]

Happy that Laika won, but Missing Link sadly was their weakest film - a huge drop from the highs of Kubo.

 

[Dr. Herbert West]

Totally agree that Missing Link was Laika's weakest film, but for me it was still better than its fellow Golden Globe nominees, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it win. I'm still bitter over Kubo losing to Zootopia.

 

[Nick]

Totally agree that Missing Link was Laika's weakest film, but for me it was still better than its fellow Golden Globe nominees, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it win. I'm still bitter over Kubo losing to Zootopia.

Not having even seen the movie, I can agree that TLK and Frozen 2 definitely didn't deserve a win over Missing Link. TS4 or HTTYD3 were the only films that really deserved it besides this one.

 

[Nick]

A thought I had about what some of you guys said about the sustainability of Laika as a business...

Netflix, Amazon or Apple - all of which can afford to buy the studio - should just buy them out and release the movies as streaming movies. Neither company has a dedicated animation company that they own and content is key.

Obviously people aren’t running out to theaters to see Laika’s movies, but I think they are exactly the type of content that would do big numbers as a streaming release.

 

[Clive]

A thought I had about what some of you guys said about the sustainability of Laika as a business...

Netflix, Amazon or Apple - all of which can afford to buy the studio - should just buy them out and release the movies as streaming movies. Neither company has a dedicated animation company that they own and content is key.

Obviously people aren’t running out to theaters to see Laika’s movies, but I think they are exactly the type of content that would do big numbers as a streaming release.

I think the individual films cost too much for that to be a viable option, though I like where your head is at. It's also basically just a prestige/vanity exercise (albeit a very enriching one), so I don't know if Travis Knight would be interested in selling.

 

[bob albert]

I think the individual films cost too much for that to be a viable option, though I like where your head is at. It's also basically just a prestige/vanity exercise (albeit a very enriching one), so I don't know if Travis Knight would be interested in selling.

Amazon bought the expanse which was not a cheap show with low viewership because it was good and the people making it had talent. I would almost count on them waiting to be bailed out by Netflix or another streaming service. Netflix should absolutely buy this for cheap if they can. A real vanity project would be if they would rather go bankrupt than sell.