Reviewed by: Joe

Directed by: Chris Wedge

Produced by: Christopher Meledandri & Lori Forte

Cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Goran Visnjic, & Jack Black

Released: March 15, 2002

Comedy, Kids/Family and Animation 1 hr. 25 min. Twenty thousand years ago, the Earth was being overrun by glaciers, and creatures everywhere were fleeing the onslaught of the new Ice Age. In this time of peril, we meet the weirdest herd of any Age: a fast talking but dim sloth named Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo); a moody woolly mammoth named Manny (voiced by Ray Romano); a devilish saber-toothed tiger named Diego (Denis Leary); and an acorn-crazy saber-toothed squirrel known as Scrat. This quartet of misfits unexpectedly, and reluctantly, comes together in a quest to return a human infant to his father. Braving boiling lava pits, treacherous ice caves, freezing temperatures and a secret, evil plot, these "sub-zeros" become the world's first heroes!

The story of Ice Age follows three misfits, a mammoth, a sloth, and a siberian tiger, who band together to bring an abandoned baby human back to its tribe. But there is more then meets the eye. One of the members of this group is hiding something that could endanger them all. The story of Ice Age is interesting but confusing at the same time. Manny's back story conflicts with the story of the group bringing the human baby back to its tribe. Without giving anything away, it just doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense if you look at it. Plus the mixing of such diverse species banding together to form a group is beyond comprehension but then again this film is intended for children and doesn't neccessarily have to make sense.

The performances on the other hand are fabulously well done. Ray Ramono, famous for his role in the TV series Everybody Loves Raymond, makes his feature film debut at Manny the mammoth. He does a very good job though his character's back story is a problem with the real story of the film. Denis Leary is okay as Diego. He could have been a whole lot better but he deals with what good lines he has. John Leguizamo is very funny as Sid the sloth. He provides much of the comic relief of the film but many jokes work better with all three members of the animal group.

Overall, Ice Age continues the trend of good, wholesome computer animated films like Monsters Inc. and Toy Story. The story is a little confusing considering some of the elements that are revealed about character's backgrounds but since the film is intended for children, there really isn't much grip. Scrat is funny but is too much of a distraction to be considered a highlight of this film. Some of the things involving Scrat just begin to be ridiculous as the film progresses. The film also seems to be a little too short and the music isn't as memorable as some other kid films. But Ice Age is a delightful distraction from the dull winter fare out in theaters.