Contrary to the title, this movie does not end up with all the animals dying, at least not yet. Ice Age: The Meltdown is an enjoyable family movie and will please both kids and adults alike. There are enough adult jokes so to speak to get a good laugh from the general audience. This being said, I didn't think that the movie was as good as the original.
So we start off with our three main characters, Manny, Diego, and Sid. They're hanging out as usual, but oh no they hear that the polar ice caps are melting and they have to escape "the bowl" before it becomes flooded. All the animals leave in a flurry and the three companions trek to higher ground in order to survive, obviously. On the way we learn of the different fears of the characters. Sid, like Rodney Dangerfield, feels like he gets no respect, Manny is afraid he's the only mammoth left, and Diego is afraid of water. What a motley crew. As they travel they meet up with another mammoth Ellie and two opossums Crash and Eddie. Sadly Ellie for most of the movie thinks that she's an opossum, as she was raised by them. And so the movie goes on with a blur of action, dinosaurs anyone? Yadda yadda yadda and the movie is done happily and ready for the third installment (what Ice Age: Extinction?)
The plot I felt was really skimpy and it didn't really draw me in at all. There just wasn't enough substance to really keep me intrigued and on top of that the voice actors just seemed a little tired and not as full of emotion as they could have been. My favorite part of the movie was the parts with Scrat, the squirrel thing, always trying to get his acorn. In fact, I think it was almost everyone's favorite part. I also enjoyed Sid's subplot, I won't give it away but needless to say that those are the highlights of the movie. There are however enough funny and entertaining parts for the movie to be enjoyable.
The animation is better from the first one. The characters look sharper and crisper and the environment too looks a lot better. Fox really fleshed out the world and the characters. Another thing I also like about the movie is that it deals with problems that we talk about today and putting it in animation form for the children to see. Hey kids, this is what will happen with global warming, we'll all drown! Besides the problem of global warming, it also deals with Hurricane Katrina. The land is called "the bowl" and apparently is at the approximate elevation of New Orleans. Add on to that the animals only have three days to reach higher land before the big flood and we have a Katrina reference, and well it also sounds like Noah. Either way it's a pretty dark concept, but I think Ice Age pulled it off well with enough humor and sub-plots. It is also a bit more violent I feel. There are animal attacks and such, just like what would happen, well, in the real Paleolithic era.
My overall consensus on this movie is that it is enjoyable, and though there are some elements that could have been improved, it's an overall strong movie. The script certainly could have used some work, but it does have its moments. And of course as it is a family movie it shows the importance of friendship, perseverance, and being non-judgmental. This movie teaches kids so much! I would say that if you don't plan to see it in the theaters then give it a try and rent it. You may not be blown away but at least you can have a little laugh at the raucous jokes of Eddie and Crash and enjoy the trek that these three friends go through.
"Ice Age: The Meltdown" opens March 31, 2006 and is rated PG. Adventure, Children & Family, Comedy. Directed by Carlos Saldanha. Written by Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow. Starring Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, Sean William Scott, Will Arnett.
