There was a point when a computer animated film was something of a rarity, but in today’s marketplace, they are becoming more and more common. In fact, it seems that the classic hand drawn animation is starting to fall by the wayside, but as technology improves and becomes less expensive, the once costly art of computerized cinema is becoming something that almost anyone can afford. Pixar really paved the way for CG films, and everyone is getting into the game. In 2002, Fox and Blue Sky Studios got into the game with one of their most successful computer animated films, Ice Age, and four years later, the cast of characters is back in a “sequel” (though from what I’ve read, it’s supposedly just a stand alone film) Ice Age: The Meltdown.

Manfred (Ray Ramano), Sid (John Leguizamo) and even Diego (Denis Leary) all reprise their roles of, respectively, woolly mammoth, Megatherium (a sloth), and Smilodon (or saber toothed tiger.) Even Scrat the saber-toothed squirrel is back again, but you couldn’t really have an Ice Age film without him, when he’s not busy making appearances on Fox shows like Family Guy. The three “friends” soon find that their world is in peril and the ice is melting and within three days, doomsayers predict that the entire valley will flood killing everything living in it. There is hope however, just a small glimmer, and supposedly at the end of the valley, there is a boat that can save everyone from certain death.

On their way to literally save their hides, the trio encounters some new “friends,” Crash and Eddie (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck) and their sister Ellie (Queen Latifah.) While Crash and Eddie are opossums, their “sister” is actually a mammoth, she’s just been taken in by the idea what she’s an opossum herself and with Manny being the last of his kind, finding another Mammoth, particularly a female, is a huge opportunity. The two of them may have the chance to keep the mammoth species alive but of course, they are going to need to find the boat that has been mention if anyone wants to survive.

The original Ice Age was released with a G rating, very appropriate actually, and what is going to surprise many parents (Ice Age really is geared towards a younger audience) is that Meltdown is PG. Why you may be wondering? There are moments of mild profanity, though not necessarily used in any insulting way (there’s a moment where many tells a story about a burro, and then changes it to an ass, not really a big deal) and there are a few sexual innuendos, though nothing blatant. While this doesn’t bother this review (and not many things do) I only bring this up as a warning for parents who want to try and shelter their children from the “evils” of the world. Hey, they’re going to learn it somewhere, and if the language and narratives of computer animated, extinct creatures bother you, this is probably a film to avoid for the little ones. Actually, I see it as more of a nod to the adult audience, and any animated film of any variety certainly has its fair share of adults who admire and enjoy it.

These things aren’t what bothers me about the film, but it’s a number of other things. The story just isn’t that interesting in my opinion and while it may keep the attention of younger fans of the original film, many are going to find that the magic just isn’t here. Much of the film is spent with Manny, Diego, and Sid trading some rather bland sarcastic quips or Sid trying to convince Manny that he should really try and get together with Ellie to save the species. There are moments of action and danger, nothing though that is going to be too frightening for young eyes, but often times, it’s quite predictable and the attempts to throw in some humor end with moments that simply aren’t funny at all.

When the film isn’t focusing on Manny or the others trying to find a way to survive the possibility of dying in a torrent of water, the movie features Scrat, who really has become a breakout star in the series. Just as seen with just about everything featuring the little guy, he’s having issues once again collecting a rather stubborn acorn and finding himself in plenty of trouble with various creatures and precarious situations. It’s not a bad break from the movie, and occasionally has something that is a bit humorous, but ultimately this break just extends the film to a running time that becomes a bit excessive. I don’t have a problem with movies with a lengthy run time, but for Ice Age, it becomes a little unnecessary.

There really isn’t much of a difference in my opinion between the look of Meltdown and the imagery of the first film. I’m still not horribly impressed by the way that the characters in the film appear. They tend to be a little too cartoon-like in my opinion, and either of the films could have easily been done without being CG, but I suppose in some ways, there are things that are easier to do with computers than having to drawn each and every frame, and there certainly are things that CG allows, like hair movement, and no matter how long someone has been drawing an animated feature, trying to do something like this can push anyone to thief limits. There are times when the backgrounds seen in Meltdown are a bit unimpressive, but they actually do work well with the characters.

There are quite a few extras included on the DVD release. Scrat has an all-new adventure, no time for nuts, and like always, the saber-toothed squirrel is getting into plenty of trouble all because of his affection for nuts. There are two different commentary tracks for the movie, one with director Carlos Saldanha, the other with the crew of the film which features far too many individuals to list here (seriously, there are a lot of people involved.) Crash and Eddie, the opossums from Meltdown, are featured in two different spotlight sections, one that looks at the “stunts,” the other that is a behind-the-scenes feature done while the movie was still in production. A similar section shows us Ellie while fans can then pay a visit to the sound effects lab for the Scrat/piranha scene.

There is much more than just these few things. There is an “outtake,” a short with Peter de Seve, the artist for Ice Age and a look at the marketing, something that is always important with any Hollywood film. There are two different music features, one that’s even a sing-a-long and even arcade games. There is plenty to keep anyone who loves the film busy for quite a while I’m sure.

I haven’t really seen anything between the two Ice Age films that has convinced me of the magic and entertainment value of the movies. I can stand sitting through them, but they certainly aren’t movies high on my list to watch again. But, keeping in mind that Ice Age really is geared towards a younger audience, if they loved the first movie, they are going to enjoy the second just as much, perhaps even more with the new characters that are introduced and the addition of plenty of Scrat.
 

-mike-
 

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha   Written By: Peter Gaulke, Jim Hecht & Gerry Swallow   Voice Cast: Ray Romano (Manfred) John Leguizamo (Sid) Denis Leary (Diego) Seann William Scott (Crash) Josh Peck (Eddie) Queen Latifah (Ellie)

DVD Features: Available Audio: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) English, Spanish & French Subtitles All–New Short - "No Time for Nuts" All–New Crash & Eddie Stunts - 3 Short Shorts Crash and Eddie Blooper Commentaries w/Carlos Saldanha Commentary w/Lori Forte and the Production Team. The Animation Director's Chair Intro Into New Characters - "Meet Ellie" and "Meet Crash and Eddie" Lost Historical Films on the Ice Age Period Sloth Dancing to Sid's Sing-a-Long Set Top Games Silly Sid & John Leguizamo – A Featurette Outtakes