Scrat takes this film and runs with it, the other characters in the film just get in the way

Rating: 6/10 (23 April 2006)

Ice Age was proof that you do not have to be Pixar to come out with an awesome yet equally touching computer-animated film. Becoming a surprise hit a few years ago, it made Ray Romano a bigger star, and would also temporarily revive the careers of Denis Leary and John Leguizamo. Of course a sequel was in the works after its success, this is Hollywood we are talking about. Fortunately, the entire cast was back, including the squirrel that provided the most laughs in the original. The antics of the squirrel are among the best footage of animation since the Road Runner cartoonshe is just that funny to watch. Unfortunately though, Queen Latifah was going to have her moments in the sequel. The overrated actress just isn't that funny, sorry, and I did not picture her providing much laughs in the movie.
Ice Age: The Meltdown is one of those movies that feel more like two movies in one: one that is very, very funny, and the other that just isn't that great at all. Scrat the squirrel basically proved that he needs his own movie; he was the standout character in the film by far. Ice Age: The Meltdown also proves that once you add a few more characters, the chemistry between the main characters just suffers. In the original Ice Age, there were plenty of one-liners, witty remarks, and cheap shots aimed at each other, but in the sequel, it's all gone because we have another mammoth and a few possums. It just wasn't as interesting the second time around, nor was it as funny. Ice Age: The Meltdown is the standard sequel, more or less of the same but just not as equally fun.
The movie is about how the ice is melting and it will soon create a massive flood, leading to the possible deaths of thousands of animals. With this looming event happening, Manny, Sid, and Diego set out on a hunt to find a protection, or perhaps a "boat" to save them from the icy cold waters and the dangerous fishes that lurk within it. Along the way, they run into the possums and perhaps the only other living mammoth. The catch is, the female mammoth thinks she is a possum herself. The other part of the movie, the second part, is Scrat's constant efforts into getting that acorn he so adores.
Pretty much all the humor comes from Scrat, and nobody else. Sure the main characters do have their moments, but overall all the humor comes from the Looney Tunes-style moments of the squirrel and all he has to go through to get the acorn. Whether its him going all kung fu on fishes, or attempting an Olympic-like stunt, or climbing using his tongue, the furry critter does it all. He stands out like a hysterical sore thumb in the film. He needs his own movie; this is a fact. It would be the most successful animated film with no dialogue whatsoever (Hey, you won't have to pay millions to hire famous actors).
Madagascar, Ice Age, and especially Finding Nemo were three animated films that were totally run by the chemistry between the main characters, the way they cooperated and clashed with each other. This film was totally missing that. The mammoths just didn't seem like that great of a couple, Sid and Diego was missing that comical spark, Manny didn't have as many good one-liners, and the rest of the animals they run into just weren't as funny (The Dodos from the first one was a hoot). Crash, Eddie, and Ellie, the three new animals in the sequel, just made the movie drag a bit and rarely provided anything past a snicker from the audience.
The voice talent isn't to blame here as much as the writing. Romano, Leary, Leguizamo were great with what they had, while Seann William Scott, Queen Latifah, and Josh Peck weren't necessarily that greatanyone really could have done those roles. It seems like the writers did not have enough material the second time around but did the best they could to make the movie despite the lack of content. The jokes just aren't as fresh, and some of them come off as uncomfortably pathetic. The ending was awesome though, and once again, its because of Scrat.
Bottom Line: Not as fresh, not as original, not as exciting, not as funny, and not as entertaining as the first one, but it still does indeed have its moments, and they all involve the one headline character in the teasers and in the poster. Hopefully, a third one is not going to happen, but with the money this one is currently making, the possibility is still indeed there. Chemistry is all gone, the laughs aren't there; this was the most disappointing animated film since Shrek 2. Then again, with Pixar headlining the way animated films should be, shouldn't we cut Blue Sky Studios a little bit of slack? After the excellent Ice Age, nah, the talent is obviously there, that or they are a one-hit wonder (after all, Robots wasn't that great either). Ice Age: The Meltdown: all we need is Scrat.
6/10