A WORTHY COMPUTER ANIMATION FILM

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 2002)

ICE AGE is a very good computer animation film even if somewhat derivative of other recent titles ( SHREK, DINOSAUR etc. ) in this particular genre. The main characters are quite good, all the way from the aloof Manny the Mammoth to the flippant Sid the Sloth. There is certainly a feeling a "deja vu" in the proceedings ( ala DINOSAUR and MONSTERS, INC. ), yet the situations are settings are unique enough to keep the story fresh and entertaining. Some of the strong points are Diego's character development from an antagonist to hero, and the lovable Scrat whose presence charms even if adding nothing to the storyline ( seemingly inspired by toon-master Tex Avery ).
Of course, the human characters in ICE AGE are as minimal as to be expected; even the baby ( though cute ) is a minor presence though constantly seen throughout. One has to wonder why these prehistoric mammals are going through all this bother to bring this infant back to its clan. Another weakness is with Manny himself; there are practically no insights into the basic nature of this massive elephant except for a brief incident where he remembers his family being killed by hunters ( giving more reason to wonder about his involvement here ). Sid is better defined but extremely similar to the goofy lemur in DINOSAUR ( with a "hot tub" scene where he is also trying to wow the ladies much like the Disney pic ).
Some other notable elements are the other saber-toothed cats of Diego's pride, either wholly evil or comical like THE LION KING, and the hilarious suicidal Dodos which didn't die out until comparatively recent times. In spite of the aforementioned familiarity of the material, there is enough originality and cleverness to more than compensate for this recycling of story elements to make it a winner. Pleasing to the eyes, ICE AGE doesn't redefine the genre but is just as worthy as any of the others ( and in some regards even better ).
On a 1-10 scale, a solid 8