"Maybe We Could Rapidly Evolve Into Water Creatures!" --- Sid (John Leguizamo)

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2007)

"Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
Directed By: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Queen Latifah, Will Arnett, Chris Wedge, & Jay Leno
MPAA Rating: "PG" (for some mild language and innuendo)
In 2002, an animated film premiered to pleasant reviews and an even nicer box-office. It told the story of a saber-toothed tiger, a mammoth, and a sloth who find a lost infant and try to return him to his tribe. This movie was called "Ice Age" (titled according to the fact that the movie was set during the Ice Age). It is one of my favorite of my favorite animated movies of the past decade and was a genius blend of kid-friendly humor and parent-oriented humor (Notice: I said "parent", not "adult"). It was the type of movie that families could sit don and enjoy together without kids being bored or parents feeling guilty. I knew that it was only a matter of time before a sequel was made and I was awaiting a second installment with eager anticipation. That sequel is "Ice Age: The Meltdown" and I simply could not wait to see it. But the question I am here to answer is: did "Ice Age: The Meltdown" live up to the good name of its predecessoror did this movie follow the typical "The Sequel Is Never As Good As The Original" formula?
Manny (voiced by Romano), Diego (voiced by Leary), and Sid (voiced by Leguizamo) are back! They have all settled comfortably into their new, uneventful lives and everything is going very well for them. However, the Ice Age is coming to a close and the ice everywhere is starting to melt--an event that will spell certain doom for the valley in which they now reside. The friends must band together once again to escape the valley and make their way to a "boat" on the complete opposite side that will carry them to safety. On their way, they encounter many friends and foes, including the very friendly mammoth, Ellie (voiced by Latifah), who thinks that she is a possum, and her actual possum "brothers", Crash (voiced by Scott) and Eddie (voiced by Peck). But, there biggest enemy is not the coming wave of waterbut two vicious water creatures that will do anything to make our characters a new meal. All the time, the squirrel, Scrat (voiced by Wedge) tries to ineffectually regain his beloved acorn.
"Ice Age: The Meltdown" was greeted with a lukewarm reception by critics. The majority of critics enjoyed it, but there were many that simply ignored it, banning it "just another lame sequel". How could this be? Could this be? Could this much-awaited sequel not be worth all of the anticipation? I, never being one to rely much on critics in general, still was looking forward to get the chance to see this. And I am glad that I did not listen to the critics who to skip this. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" is exactly what I expected when I thought of a sequel to "Ice Age". It doesn't surpass the original, but it doesn't fall below the original either. It is on the same level. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" is a worthy sequel, engaging and utterly delightful for all ages. This is a must-see for all fans of the original. If only all sequels could be this good.
As much as I enjoyed "Ice Age: The Meltdown", there were a few problems. First and foremost, I did not like the fact that the movie ignored the ending of the original. You know the ending that featured Scrat frozen solid on a tropical island thousands of years later only to thaw and again begin searching for his acorn. "The Meltdown" just disregarded that scene altogether. I think it would have been very interesting to have the final scene in this movie somehow lead into that film--you know, seeing Scrat get frozen, etc. On top of that, I thought that some of the more sexually-oriented innuendos were a little too much. They could have been toned down just a tad. But, I still had a blast with "Ice Age: The Meltdown". It isn't the best animated movie of the year, but it definitely falls into my top five. If you haven't seen it yet, whether you are a fan of the original or not, then I suggest you check it out as soon as possible, especially if you have a family. This is a family movie that should not be missed.
Final Thought: "Ice Age: The Meltdown" met my expectation and is a very nice family movie.
Overall Rating: 8/10 (A-)