Ice Age - A Movie Review

Prepare yourself for the ice age to come. Just be on the lookout for a mammoth, sloth, and a saber-tooth tiger accompanied by a baby.

Ice Age hit theaters in 2002. During pre-historic times, animals prepare for the oncoming ice age. Three unlikely animals, a mammoth, a sloth, and saber-tooth tiger, meet because of a strange predicament. They have to return a child to his tribe. The journey brings the group together making them see each other in a different light.

Ice Age was one of my favorite movies as a kid. If I could travel back in time I would love to go back to the day when I saw this movie in theaters for the first time. It is a hysterical movie with a moving message. Ice Age is an excellent animated movie about an unlikely friendship brewed from an unexpected adventure.

Character development is a huge part of this movie. Even as a kid I was hit with the emotion of Manny’s sad backstory, Diego’s predicament with his conscience, and Sid’s attempts at trying to be useful when normally he is a clutz. That’s what I love about this movie. It is corny, but it is sincere in its delivery of a profound story.

Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary are incredible as the voices of the trio. I love their interactions and I think the actors did a terrific job actually creating a genuine bond. One obstacle to voice acting is that you are only acting through voice. The actors did a spectacular job acting as if they’re climbing a mountain, chewing on something crunchy, or overall emotion pivotal to the scene.

Other voice actors included are Goran Visnjic, Jack Black, Cedric the Entertainer, Stephen Root, Lorri Bagley, Jane Krakowski, and numerous other voice talents. One of my favorite characters is Scrat the squirrel who no matter what he does to protect his beloved acorn, ends up in a predicament.

The story arc in which the animals have to take this little baby back to his tribe is a surreal aspect of the movie that you would never think about. Scenes with the little boy are humorous. One of my favorite animation sequences is the whole escapade with chasing after the little boy through a maze of slippery ice slides. I even rewound this entire sequence on VHS just to watch it again for another laugh!

The animation is spectacular in Ice Age. I am most impressed by the facial expressions. Artists worked long and hard on creating genuine facial reactions to any given dramatic moment.

Ice Age released a chain of movies in the years since the release of the first film. While the most recent sequels tried to copy the tone and message of the first film, they gradually became over the top. I wish one of these sequels could have reunited the young boy with the animals. This would have been a pivotal story-line to see if the child remembers them and to see if he grew up with his tribe’s mindset of killing animals for their own survival.

Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha distributed a creative, emotional, and humorous story about an unlikely friendship and journey. If I ever see a showing of Ice Age on TV I can’t help but sit down and watch it. it’s a great story. There are dark moments conveyed such as death, betrayal, and the importance of moving on from a loss.

If you have not seen Ice Age, I recommend that you do so immediately. If you’re searching for a laugh or a smile, Ice Age will do the trick.