Emma Thompson And Stephen Fry Join Laika’s Missing Link

Following on from last month's announcement that Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana and Zach Galifianakis will lead the voice cast of its fifth film, animation studio Laika has shed more light on the movie. We now know it's called Missing Link and will also feature Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Ching Valdez-Aran and Amrita Acharia among its vocal talent.

With the title and additional casting info also comes a synopsis at last, revealing that Jackman's playing the charismatic Sir Lionel Frost, who considers himself the world's foremost investigator of myths and monsters. The trouble is none of his small-minded high-society peers seems to recognize this. Sir Lionel's last chance for acceptance by the adventuring elite rests on traveling to America's Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature. A living remnant of Man's primitive ancestry... The Missing Link.

Chris Butler is writing and directing this one, talked up by Laika boss Travis Knight. "Missing Link is an artistic and technical wonder," he says. "Led by our visionary director Chris Butler, Laika has once again blended fine art, craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology to achieve something we've never tried before: a raucous comedy entwined with a swashbuckling epic, underscoring the universal need to find belonging. Commingling keenly felt emotion, madcap humor, and retina-bursting visuals, Missing Link is a kaleidoscopic cinematic experience unlike any other. It's the most striking thing we've ever done."

The film should be with us next spring. And the first official image – featuring Galifianakis' Mr. Link – is below.