2006, Twentieth Century Fox
Animation
Rating: PG
Approx. 90 mins.
THE STORY:
Manny the mammoth (Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the sabre tooth tiger (Denis Leary) are back. This time they are faced not with an impending ice age, but with global warming. Manny, who has started to believe that he is the last mammoth left alive, is also troubled by the desire for a family. He strikes it lucky when the trio runs into Ellie (Queen Latifah), a female mammoth. The luck appears to dissipate, however, when it transpires that the 2 can't stand each other. Plus there is the small matter of Ellie, in an amazing feat of mind over matter, being convinced that she is a possum.
Realizing that the warming climate has put them at risk of dying in a flood caused by the melting ocean waters, the trio, accompanied by Ellie and her 2 'brother' possums, head off in search of safer ground. They survive a number of perilous adventures, and, through their experience, Manny and Ellie develop a romantic relationship that ends with Manny starting a new family after all.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
VIOLENCE:
TEACHING POINTS:
- give yourself a chance to get to know someone before dismissing them
THE UPSHOT:
There's something about the Ice Age series that just always leaves me with a smile on my face. It's not that the stories are unexpected or unique. The central conceit of each of the 4 movies to date (this is installment 2) is essentially the same: an odd group of prehistoric animals struggling to survive given the changing environment. But the characters and their interplay is just so good that I can't not enjoy an hour and a half with them.
The makers of this franchise are masters at satisfying the needs of the young 'uns who want to see the movies with the desires of the grown ups who have to watch along. In short, the 5 year-old in the room had a blast, and the adults in the room did a lot of laughing.
4/5
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