Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

Review by Clint Morris

One is the loneliest number – as we all know, thanks to the song – and so FOX has found Ice Age a match. Well, a pretty close match anyway. (Not that they ever had anything but the best interests of the cash register in mind, anyway).

Though we’d much rather a share in those returns, a slice of the entertainment value isn’t so bad either, with Ice Age : The Meltdown proving to be quite a worthwhile sequel to the till-ringing smash from a few years back. Again, kids will be laughing, kids will be cheering, kids will be seat-clenched. Kids, of course, being the only ones that’ll actually admit to having a good time.

Truth is – and much like the Pixar films – Ice Age : The Meltdown is a film for all ages. Not just the recent graduates of diaper school. The film is funny, quite tense at times, a little sad (especially when you consider the ultimate fate of these characters)….but most of all, it’s incredibly well-done. If you can appreciate anything, it’s the work that has gone into the film. This is a marvel to look at, and if the characters don’t hook you in (and they will), then the stunning I-mac created backdrop most certainly will.

The ice is melting, so our friends from the first film, Diego (A sabre-tooth tiger, voiced by Denis Leary), Manny (A Mammoth, voiced by Ray Romano) and Sid (A Sloth, voiced by John Leguizamo) hit the road in search of safe dry soil. In between dodging the cracks in the ice, they  - particularly, Manny, who was convinced he was the last of his kind until he meets Ellie (voiced by Queen Latifah) – make a few new friends, and again, learn the importance of sticking together and being a family.

Meantime, intercut between the major storyline, our ‘teaser trailer’ star, Scrat, the little chap whose always after the chestnut - which just keeps getting away from him, continues his plight to keep hold of a nutty treasure.

Ice Age was never a Toy Story or a Monster’s Inc, but it was definitely in a much richer galaxy than, say, The Prince of Egypt or Chicken Little. The sequel is pretty much the same. Unlike some of other family films in recent years, particularly those from Disney/Pixar, it isn’t a very memorable one and doesn’t seem to have as much meat on its bone as some others have, but it’s still an enjoyable ride whilst you’re on it. If you liked the first one, you’ll like this. Simple as fries.

3 out of 5

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Australian release: 6th April, 2006
Cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Josh Peck
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Website: Click here.