Ice Age is a solid family movie most intended for children 6 and up.

Rating: 6/10 (1 May 2011)

Ice Age is just one a slew of computer generated films aimed for young children and families that came out in the early 2000s. It centers around three friends; a woolly mammoth named Manny who is voiced by Ray Romano, a saber-toothed tiger called Diego who is voiced by Denis Leary, and a smooth-talking, dimwitted sloth named Sid, who is voiced by John Leguizamo. Together the three friends face the destruction of their home by impending glaciers brought on by a coming ice age, all the while trying to return a human baby back to his village.
As with most family friendly movies, this one centers around friendship, trust and togetherness as the three reluctant friends face many hardships such as lava pits, glaciers, and ice caverns all to accomplish their goal.
Though this film is solid, it doesn't rank with the powerhouses of family films such as Shrek, mostly because of the pacing and lack of thrill. The movie is funny, but not because of the usually reasons, such as the characters finding themselves in zany predicaments, but rather the characters themselves add to the majority of the humor. Manny, the mammoth is boorish and slow, Diego is slick and somewhat devilish, while Sid is fast talking but not fast thinking. The character combination is what makes the film generally enjoyable. However, the most enjoyable character is one that does not get equal billing with the others, and that is Scrat. Scrat is a saber-toothed squirrel, who wants nothing more than to secure his fortune that comes in the form of an elusive acorn. Throughout the film the camera will cut to Scrat chasing the acorn and finding himself in some hilarious situations. Yes, the bulk of the comedy focuses mainly on Scrat, and most adults would find his scenes more entertaining than watching the rest of the animals on their adventure.
This is most likely because the pacing is as slow as Manny lumbering up a hill. As you watch the movie, you find it obvious that the pacing is set more for children than adults, which is okay, except that there are some rather scary scenes in which most young children shouldn't watch it alone without adults their to reassure them.
As far as the artistic styling of the film, the lighting, and camera angles, and colors are all brilliant and vibrant throughout the film, and they tie in well with the overall attitude of the movie being of a light and airy sort. The theme does well to show kids that friendships can be made and challenges overcome with teamwork. For the most part, Ice Age is a solid family movie most intended for children 6 and up.