THREE MAMMALS AND A BABY? Exactly.

Rating: 5/10 (8 October 2003)

I didn't think much ICE AGE. Never mind the drab visual look or the predictable plot. What annoyed me was its unrealized premise.
I dunno, but why do these animals need to speak? Disregard, as I have, the fact that English wasn't around when the movie was set. What bothered me was the laziness of the scriptwriters. Wouldn't the movie be more creative if the animals didn't speak at all? How about telling the story through their own means - with body language and grunts and whatnot. What's the point in making a movie about animals if all you're gonna do is supply them with recognizable human characteristics? Sure, it'd be terribly difficult to make this movie without dialogue, but it'd be possible right? Think of all the money to be saved without hiring B-list actors to supply the voices.
This would also eliminate another gripe I had - the anachronistic dialogue. At one point Manfred spoke of a "petting zoo." Would zoos have been in existence at the time the movie takes place, much less the petting variety? Another quip had to do with a slalom; I don't believe any form of sport exist back then, especially not a sophisticated zigzag skiing type.

I guess I'm too hard on these kiddie movies. I still haven't figured out exactly what Stuart Little is (a mouse, or a boy who looks like a mouse? And why doesn't his family treat him as such? Are they blind, or just stupid?), so maybe I should stop watching them.