Loved it!

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2002)

Why are digital animation films taking successfully over traditional animation? Because of examples like "Toy Story" (1&2), "A Bug's Life", "Shrek" (wonderful), "Monsters, Inc." and now, "Ice Age".
As the rest of listed films, the secret of this new breed of animation is found in the ORIGINALITY of the idea...ORIGINALITY-something quite difficult to find in cinema nowadays. The story told by "Ice Age", although simple, is perfectly narrated and very well "juiced" by their producers, as throughout the story you find lots of gags and scenes that could seem not essential for the story, but are excellent (the final scene, for instance) and very funny.
The originality of this "Ice Age" stands in the excellent design of both characters and scenery, and in the excellent personification of the animals we see during the movie. A special mention for the squirrel, Scrat, one of the funniest toons I've ever seen. Another interesting point is the ambition of Fox Animation to transmitt, alike Disney films, a message (in this film, sort of friendship, courage and ecologic balance between humans and nature), but not in the classic "kiddish" way we are so tired of watching. The thing is, here that message doesn't take over the whole plot of the story: the real ingredient is the humour the film constantly radiates, let the public enjoy a memorable film just by its ambition of being extremely funny and humorous, not by showing a kind of serious melodrama, like happened with "The Prince Of Egypt" and many of the last Disney´s, such as "Pocahontas". David Newman's music outstands: rhythmic and very playful, like the very first piece of the film, in the starting credits and the migration of animals to the south.
What more can I say? Many more small things and details, but the essential is summarized here. Just say this is NO film for kids and youngsters: the fame of animation of being exclusively aimed at children is finished. So important has this genre become, that even the Academy has made an exclusive Oscar for the best animation film of the year. Because thingts have changed. Just by watching the films I listed at the beginning, you'll find the answer. And "Ice Age" follows this new tradition of excellent and original digital animation.
VOTE ----> 9/10