Review of Ice Age (2002) by Jedimaster T — 08 Oct 2014

In a continuing quest to outdo Pixar in the computer animation department, another failure has emerged in 20th Century Fox's Ice Age. While it is a superbly animated film, much better than Jimmy Neutron or Shrek's animation, it does not measure up to Toy Story or A Bug's Life in animated quality. However, the film is adorable and perfect for the entire family.

I find it interesting that normally crude, very adult comedians would voice a cutesy family flick. Ice Age features two usually-decadent comedians, Dennis Leary, as Diego, the sabretooth tiger with a hidden agenda, and John Leguizamo as the naive sloth, Sid. Sid and Diego team with Manny, the loner Mammoth, voiced by Everybody Loves Raymond's Ray Ramano, to buck the instinctive migration south during the onset of ice in order to get an infant human back with his family.

Throughout the film, everyone learns something, but specifically important is that they all learn what it means to be in a family and to look out for each other. Sid, the cute but annoying sloth, doesn't understand why his family leaves him every year during the migration route. He's one of those characters that is annoying on many levels, but never realizes it. I have a friend like this, and Dave, you know who you are. :-).

At the same time, Diego is struggling to live up to his pack's expectations, go with his tiger-instinct and lead these weary travelers to a sabretooth pack trap. Even though humans killed most of his pack, he grows to love the human infant. And even though a mammoth would make a great, meaty alternative to the human infant, Manny saves Diego's life during the trip. However, the ball is already rolling and the sabretooth pack is waiting for Sid, Manny and the infant on the other side of the glacier.

Meanwhile, Manny, who tries to play the consummate loner, very opposite of a typical, pack-oriented mammoth, succumbs to the fact that he too needs a family since his was slaughtered by humans years before.

Through a series of events, these individuals meet and are drawn, for one reason or another, to the idea of taking this human infant, found in his dead mother's arms, to his family. On the way, they come to rely on each other and instead of loners in their individual lives, they develop their own pack/family.

The story is sweet, very family-oriented and, at times, a little sappy. However, this is a family film. The story is funny and sweet enough to keep both adults and kids interested. In fact, the highlight of the film is the Scrat, the squirrel-like creature whose job to locate acorns to store for the winter. Throughout numerous points in the film, the Scrat attempts to gather a sole acorn, but is struck by lightning, stepped on by animals, frozen in ice, etc. It is definitely the comedy relief of the film.

The movie is short, a mere 81 minutes, so my 2 year-old actually sat through it completely. It's humor, family message and beautiful animation are definitely worth catching on the big screen. Take your kids to see it ASAP!