mediocre animation which does have it's moments

Rating: 6/10 (8 March 2005)

SPOILERS Animation has covered some varied topics over the years. Dealing with fairy tale lands where things don't always run to plan ("Shrek") and medieval England (Disney's "Robin Hood" and "Sword In The Stone" to name two), it has expanded across vast potentials and often come out of it in one piece. In 2002's "Ice Age", animation went a long time into the past when man still hunted as a pack and mammoths roamed the Earth. With a predictable story and some relatively unknown names, this film might not have the impact and comedy value as other recent classics, but it does have enough humour in it to be worth watching.
As the impending ice age arrives, animals migrate in vast numbers. Not all manage this however as annoying sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) is abandoned by his family and forces himself upon unfortunate mammoth Manny (Ray Romano). Now with sabre tooth lion Diego (Denis Leary), the two must travel across snow and ice to return a human child to his tribe. Along the way, this unique herd will bond as they face countless difficulties.
As far as animation styles go, this film isn't that bad. Feeling distinctly out of place in comparison with more modern effects, it returns to an older style where animals were realistic, and humans were irrelevant. While humans might look distinctly block based however, scenes involving ice and steam are treated with incredible detail and look remarkably realistic.
Humour in "Ice Age" is also just as inconsistent as the animation. A scene involving a huge number of Dodo saving for the winter is perhaps one of the funniest scenes to come out of animation since the turn of the 21st century. Simultaneously though, the ongoing joke about Sid's annoyance is quick to loose steam and by the end of the film, you find yourself more agitated than amused.
Another flaw with "Ice Age" is a bad choice of casting. Sometimes the best thing about watching a cartoon is working out who does what voice. In "Shrek" and it's sequel, there was a ridiculous amount of star voices present. In more minor films like "Robots", there are less, but they are still distinctive. In "Ice Age" however, with the exception of the always noticeable tones of Denis Leary, very few voices are identifiable. In America, perhaps the voice of Ray Romano might be known for "I Love Raymond", but in Britain where the show never caught on, the name is a complete unknown and is unidentifiable.
For an animation to be successful, it generally has to be funny, well made and with a cast of familiar voices. With moments of hilarity and some equally impressive animation, "Ice Age" does make some headway. Unfortunately though it is far too inconsistent and too lacking in the vocal front. A laugh to watch when there is nothing else to do, but it's best not to set your expectations too high.