Ice Age

Released 2002
Animated
Voices Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary
Directed by Chris Wedge

Ice Age is quite a pleasant surprise. The story about a wooly mammoth, a sloth, and a sabre-toothed tiger teaming up to return a human baby to its "herd" is a very silly concept, but it works better than one would expect. What really makes the movie a must-see, though, is the animation which is lively and fun at its worst. At its best, it's almost breath-taking. For example, there's the opening shot with the colliding glaciers, which is simply stunning. Then there's the gorgeous waterfall and the playful sledding scene through the cave, etc. Visually, this movie is delightful while it remains grounded in physical reality. It's also playful with the character Scrat, who runs around trying to bury his acorn, as well as the three main characters. For the first time I can remember, I can actually say my favorite character was the sidekick. Usually, I find the sidekicks grating, but this time Sid (John Leguizamo) is fun as the annoying sidekick who annoys everyone except the audience. All in all, Ice Age is a lot of fun.

Summary by Bill Alward, December 14, 2002