CORPORATE LINE:
A star-studded cast provides the voices for the prehistoric creatures in this computer-animated feature set 20,000 years ago as the Ice Age approaches. Seemingly anti-social Manny, a woolly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), acts as if he just wants to be left alone. When he meets Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo), a sloth, the two become unlikely traveling companions. The plot thickens when the duo finds a human infant and decides to try to return the child to its “herd.” Manny slowly but surely reveals his heart of gold, while Sid continues to provide comic relief. Diego (voiced by Denis Leary), a saber-tooth tiger with ulterior motives, soon joins them in their search for the humans. Ultimately, this group of misfits becomes its own herd, learning about friendship and loyalty as they brave snow, ice, freezing temperatures, predators, hail, and even boiling lava pits. All the while, a saber-tooth squirrel, Scat, provides comic relief as he valiantly struggles with an acorn. A well-written, humorous script and endearing characters mesh well with the state-of-the-art technology and effects. Other stars lending their voices to the feature include Goran Visnjic, Jack Black, and Jane Krakowski.
THE REVIEW: First and foremost Ice Age looks good. The advancements in this film genre haven’t gone overboard just yet. They still tap into the child like qualities that the good cartoons of the past gave us.
The story itself isn’t amusing as Shrek or Toy Story, it’s interesting however. Sid, a fast talking sloth (John Leguizamo), Manny, a moody mammoth (Ray Romano), Diego, a saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary), and Scrat, one crazy squirrel, come together to help a human baby get back to his father. Of course there is a lot of action packed moments from beginning to end and the necessary comedic relief.
Ice Age looks the part and holds its own against more the modern films of its ilk. But the recipe for those others plots outweigh that of Ice Age.
THE EXTRAS:
Disc One
* Commentary by director Chris Wedge and Co-Director Carlos Saldanha
* Deleted scenes with directors’ commentary
* Trailers
Disc Two
* Ice Age 2 Sneak Peek
* Extreme Cool View – All new feature which combines fun and interesting facts about animated filmmaking and the real Ice Age throughout the movie
* “Gone Nutty –Scrat’s Missing Adventure” – This is a short cartoon featuring Scrat.
* “Sid on Sid Silhouette On Scenes” – A three minute commentary by John Lequizamo as Sid.
* Scrat Reveals
* “Animation Progression” – A nice featurette that goes into the animation process from beginning to end.
* “International Ice Age” – Shows the characters speaking in other languages
* Academy Award® winning “Bunny” Animated Short with optional commentary
* The Making of Ice Age
* Behind The Scenes of Ice Age (HBO Special)
* Build Your Own Design Gallery
* Size Comparison/Science Behind Ice Age Gallery
* Set Top Games including the all new games “Cave In” and “Rock/Paper/Scissors” as well as “Playing Darwin,” a flip book game; “Hide and Eek,” search and find game; and “Frozen Pairs,” challenging players to spot the differences between two pictures
* DVD-ROM games “Sid Shreds,” a snowboarding game starring the Ice Age characters and “Super Dodo Ball,” a rugby/dodgeball game
* A abundance of DVD ROM printables including Snowflake Flurry ornaments, Ice Digest an Ice Age-inspired magazine, Hanging With The Herd Make-Your-Own Mobile,
Ice Box Theater, Sub-Zero Heroes Adventure Board Game and a 12-month Migration Calendar
* Trailers
+ Charlie Craine
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