the plot treads on familiar ground, but "Ice Age" succeeds because of an arsenal of funny moments, charming characters, and some surprisingly strong and beautiful moments

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2009)

As far as plot is concerned, there is nothing particularly spectacular about "Ice Age" because Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth, and Diego the saber-tooth are treading over the same ground that movies such as "Shrek" did shortly before. However, that does not disqualify it from being an enjoyable movie. By contrast, this is a very sweet, funny, and wonderfully charming little movie that I actually prefer over "Shrek." Yes, "Shrek" is a better movie, but I personally prefer "Ice Age."
Like "Shrek", the movie concerns a grumpy hermit, an irritating sidekick, and an unwanted burden all joined together on a quest. Only this time, the hermit is a moody mammoth named Manny (voice by Ray Romano), the sidekick is a rejected sloth named Sid (voice by John Leguizamo) and the unwanted burden is a human child whose been separated from his clan following an attack by a pack of saber-toothed tigers. One of the tigers, a cunning feline named Diego (Denis Leary) has also joined the quest to return the child to his clan. And as they travel, there's a rat-like squirrel known only as Scrat, darting around, obsessed with protecting his acorn against everything from nosey sloths to avalanches.
The reason why "Ice Age" holds up despite an all-too-familiar plot is because it boasts surprisingly funny jokes, well-realized characters, a decent enough story, and much to my delight, a potent level of charm. The movie is not all light-noted funny moments. There are some surprisingly moving moments in the movie, including one that succeeded in bringing tears to my eyes. And that's the primary reason why I like this movie so much. It makes me laugh, but also warms my heart. Yet it does not overplay the dramatic hand to the point where it becomes mopey or too depressing for younger children.
Overall, "Ice Age" is a very well-realized family entertainment movie. It's not a jaw-dropping spectacle or a revolutionary film, but it is influential, very funny, charming, and it can pull at your heart strings. And that nutty little squirrel Scrat, he never fails at producing a grin.