Since the dawn of computer-animated cinema, expectations have been stationed at an elevated level. To follow in the footsteps of the Shrek series and just about any film in the Pixar library is a feat in itself for any modern day CGI motion picture. In 2006, many animated productions attempted to garner enthusiastic approval — on scale with the likes of Toy Story and Finding Nemo. However, while Ice Age: The Meltdown pales in comparison to these previous sterling efforts, it is one of the better animated efforts released this year. Still, it’s only suggested for viewing within certain limitations.
After hearing word of a massive flood, Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano), Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the saber-toothed Tiger (Denis Leary) journey to higher ground to ensure their escape. Along the way, they meet Ellie the Mammoth (Queen Latifah), who believes she is sister to two opossums, Crash (Josh Peck) and Eddie (Seann William Scott).Meanwhile, Scrat the Squirrel (Chris Wedge) is back as the unlucky predator of the ever-illusive acorn. This time around, his screen time is intermittent between the main plot thread; yet, in due time, Scrat’s story cleverly interweaves with that of the mammoth, saber-toothed tiger, and sloth.
Ice Age 2’s best asset is its cross-generational humor. Amid the traffic buzzards, dung beetles, the beaver who exclaims “Damn,” and the youngster who requests that the burro have a grazing problem to make him more relatable, there is enough to go over the little ones’ heads and reach the adults. On the other hand, Sid’s scatological humor, Scrat’s stroke of bad luck, and Ellie’s ignorance will keep the kids occupied with laughter.
To tally up the tick-marks in the negative column: for starters, why does the creativity in digital animation start and stop with talking animals and machinery? Just take this year’s releases for example (Robots, Cars, Madagascar, Happy Feet, Over the Hedge, Barnyard, and Flushed Away). Are there no more avenues for characters to stroll down?
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