An unsurprisingly inferior sequel, but overall, another good quality CGI effort

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2009)

Blue Sky Studios, a computer animation studio, made their feature-length debut with the hit movie, "Ice Age", in 2002. Four years later, and one year after the studio had brought us their follow-up, "Robots", they released the first "Ice Age" sequel, entitled "Ice Age: The Meltdown". I remember hearing of this sequel probably around the time it came into theatres, and was aware of the existence of its predecessor by then, but had never seen it. Now there's a third "Ice Age" film out, but I've finally just seen the first two for the first time this month. The original is very good, and I wasn't expecting this first sequel to quite match it, which it doesn't, but I've seen worse sequels. At least this one wasn't inferior enough to really disappoint me.
Manny, Sid, and Diego now live together in a valley, where many other animals also live. However, they soon discover that the ice around them is rapidly melting, threatening to flood the valley! The animals that live here are told by a vulture that there is a boat on the other end of the valley, so they set out on a journey across to make it to this boat before it's too late. The mammoth, sloth, and saber-toothed tiger set out together as Manny wonders if he is the only remaining member of his species. He soon learns that he is not, when he meets female mammoth named Ellie along the way, but for some reason, she thinks she is a possum! She and her two rowdy "brothers," Crash and Eddie (who really are possums), join the trio on their quest for survival, adding to the unlikely herd. Conflict amongst the six of them ensues as they make their way across together, and danger increases as more water comes through the glaciers!
There are more flaws here than there are in the original. The new members in the herd (Ellie, Crash, and Eddie), don't do the film as many favours as the original three do. Ellie thinking she's a possum gets a little too silly at times (though it may sometimes be mildly amusing), and Crash and Eddie's antics generally aren't that funny. However, the original characters haven't lost anything from the first "Ice Age" movie, and that includes Sid, who is still goofy and funny, like he was from the start. The arguments Manny and Ellie have can also be comic highlights. Scrat, the "saber-toothed squirrel," is back in this sequel, once again having constant trouble with his acorn, bringing more physical humour to the film. The jokes may not be as consistent in quality as the ones in the original, but there are still a good number of really funny ones. Not only is this film often funny, it gets exciting, especially during the great climax, and it sometimes gets rather poignant with Manny and Ellie's relationship.
This sequel pretty much has everything the original has – stunning animation, humorous characters and conflict, poignancy, suspenseful action, and some good voice acting (once again with Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary as the three stars). Not much makes it inferior, other than the three new characters, and just maybe a BIT more lagging. Other than that, "Ice Age: The Meltdown" is another entertaining CGI family film, just like its predecessor, despite the occasional mild swearing and sexual innuendos, which are the reasons for the PG rating (not the same reason for the PG rating of the original), like many other modern-day family movies. I can't join those who say this sequel is a great film and better than its predecessor, but if you like the original, you could also find a lot to like here, so I would say it's worth a look.