Ice Age

'On Me Way'

Directors: Chris Wedge & Carlos Saldanha

Release Date: 2002

Rating: U

Running Time: 81mins

Genre: Adventure / Animation

Actors: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary

'The last melon!'

The first chapter of the highly successful animated series set roughly 20,000 years ago during the earth's first Ice Age where we first meet Sid the Sloth, Manfred 'Manny' the Woolly-Mammoth and Diego the Saber-Tooth Tiger. Rather reluctantly we see the three animals have embark on a an epic journey through the icey and dangerous climate to try return a human baby to his father and his tribe. Despite none of them actually liking each other at the start, we see clumsy Sid and wise Manny rescue the little boy and try and catch up with his family who are heading south to aviod the Ice Age taking place. Whilst still trying to decide whether they can really trust the sly Diego who is supposedly leading them back to the tribe, but instead could just be leading them further into more danger the three characters can't help but grow more fond of each other as their journey continues. 

In 'Ice Age' audiences are shown the intense journey that the three animals embark on, where we're able to see just how far they're prepared to go to save this little baby, and more importantly each other. Battling through glaciers, caves and even volcanoes, this animated comedy provides tons of action packed scenes, including one rather comical one showing us how the dodo's actually came to be extinct, be sure to keep your eyes open for a melon. This light-hearted yet wildly moving film is able to entertain not only children but everyone making it a true classic, able to capture the power of family, friendship and instinct. As the film goes on audiences will grow more and more fond of the three animals with their funny one liners and ironic situations, it's easy to see why the creators wanted to let us see more of these guys. 

For it's time the 3D animation was still fairly new and it's clear that the makers of  'Ice Age' must've had a hard time creating this series, particularly given the complexity of the detailed scenery and the effects needed to create it. It's also clear that they would have had to of done a lot of research to create these characters and get them to match the time in which the film is set. It's clear from this that the film gives audiences a rather historical insight into the animals and people that were round during the Ice Age period. One particular scene that highlights this really well and in a rather comical way, is when we see Sid come across a fish that has been frozen but then through the generations that have followed we see that this species has gradually evolved into a sloth freaking Sid out just a little bit providing excellent laughs for the audience. Whether 'Ice Age' is wholly historically accurate or not, it's still very entertaining for the audiences and it's fair to say that whether you're a child or not, this animated classic is definitely one worth checking out. Also be sure to keep you're eyes open for a squirrel.

7/10