WHEN the trailer revealed that this film is from Laika (the production house that gave us the brilliant Kubo and the Two Strings), I knew I had to watch it.
No doubt the story of the Sasquatch has been handled before, but Laika’s productions often have a lot of heart in them.
In this movie, we are first introduced to adventurer Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman), who is trying to get evidence that the Loch Ness Monster exists.
We soon learn that – as enthusiastic as he is in finding mythical creatures – he is never able to deliver in terms of proof.
Nonetheless Frost is determined to be accepted by a prestigious explorer’s club.
So when he gets a letter telling him where to find an elusive creature in the American wilderness, he makes a wager with Lord Piggot-Dunceb (Stephen Fry), the pompous leader of the club, that he would be accepted into the club if he can prove that Bigfoot (the missing link between man and apes) exists.
Lord Piggot-Dunceb, who is determined that man did not descend from apes, sends hired killer Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant) to kill Frost before he can prove anything.
Frost does find the said creature (Galifianakis), who turns out to be highly intelligent (in fact, he was the one who wrote to Frost!). Since he has no name, Frost calls him Mr Link.
Turns out that Link is the last of his kind, and wants Frost to help him travel to the Himalayas to find the Yetis, which he thinks are his long-lost relatives.
Frost’s ex-girlfriend Adelina Fornight (Saldana) has a map to Shangri-la, a mythical place where the Yetis live, and they all go on a journey of discovery, with baddies close behind.
The only downer to this film is that it is a bit long, and some of the run-ins with the villain could have been shortened.
There are lots of laughs though, courtesy of Link taking things literally. But the biggest scene stealer is the Yeti elder, voiced by Emma Thompson, who just kills it with her dialogue.
It is a lovely story about acceptance. Though not as brilliant as Kubo and the Two Strings, this movie has enough memorable moments to make it a good watch.
