Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3974 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-23
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 87 minutes

Synopsis
With their habitat under threat from flooding caused by the ending of the ice age, unlikely friends Manny the woolly mammoth, Diego the sabre-toothed tiger, and Sid the sloth set out on a quest to find a boat that is rumoured to be at the other end of the valley. To add even more danger to their perilous mission, two carnivorous prehistoric fish have thawed out from the ice and begin to follow the herd in the rising water. While on their quest, the trio meet possums Crash and Eddie and Ellie the woolly mammoth, who believes that she is a possum. Manny is delighted that he isn't the last of his breed but Manny and Ellie have frequent disagreements. Separately, Scrat remains behind in order to hunt an acorn. The characters in the film go on a journey of self discovery, overcoming their fears and the sense of the unknown on the way. Featuring a superb voice cast including Ray Romano (EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND), John Leguizamo (SPAWN), Denis Leary (SMALL SOLDIERS), and Queen Latifa (TAXI), ICE AGE 2 - THE MELTDOWN is a fabulously animated film that retains the humour of ICE AGE, introduces a number of new characters and gives more screen time to the popular character Scrat, who is continuing on his arduous mission to acquire an acorn.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful - almost as good as the first
Wonderful for the young and young at heart, and like the first film, also contains some quite deep messages about family and our changing planet.

On a personal level though, as a prospective adoptive parent, I can see the 'Mammoth taken in by Possums' aspect to this film providing a simple but very sweet way to explain to a new family member how they came to be here. And once again, the odd but loving little herd of central characters demonstrate how the families we make can be just as special as the families we're born to.

And on a less heavy level, the whole film is great fun!

Good for kids, but not as good as the first
In places, the graphics are amazing, superior to the original, especially the sea/water. The voice-actors are as good as they were, perhaps even better, than in the original. So why the 3 stars? It's the plot, there really isn't much of one.

In the original Ice Age the story was about a group of animals reuniting a human baby with the tribe that lost him whilst set against the back drop of an encroaching Ice Age and all the melodrama that's entailed in that. In this movie, the ice is melting and the animals have to get to the other side of the valley, but other than that there isn't really any other constant story to hold the movie together, unlike the original. Instead, what's offered is an excuse for an animation sequel that falls short of the original by quite a margin.

As already mentioned, the visuals and voicing are high quality, and there are even sufficient humorous episodes to put a smile on your face so that you don't finish up thinking you've just wasted and hour and a half, but this is more like a soap-opera rather than proper film. In this offering it's the scriptwriters that are the let down.

The movie is peppered with well-rendered yet ultimately simple filler animation sequences, a couple of which are more reminiscent of early Disney animations, which is a bit of a cop-out these days. This movie desperately yearns a decent storyline to carry it (sorry, but the back drop of melting ice just isn't enough).

This animation baulks the trend over recent years for presenting mature humour in a child-like packing and instead goes just for the child-like packing (which it achieves admirably). But... it's not cleverly scripted, like The Incredibles, Shrek, Monsters Inc, Antz, Toy Story or even the original Ice Age.

I'm sure it will be delightful for younger children and anyone else with a young-at-heart-and-head disposition. But I'd give this movie an overall 67% entertainment rating.

As good as the first


The problem I have with sequels, is that expectations are set from the original and filmmakers are expected to go one better. Often they fail. Luckily for us they still try. Following Ice Age 1, this had to be good, really good. After some years living in peace in a new pack, our old friends Sid, Manny and Diego discover that the ice is melting and a flood will cover the valley they now call home. Soon they organize a migration, but the trip won't be easy, especially for Manny, who begins to believe that he is the last Mammoth on earth. It's a terrific animation, the delightful vocal performances of all the actors involved, and its irresistible imaginative charm. The old fashioned concepts of love and brotherhood do make their expected appearances but they are short and sweet and fit brilliantly in the film. In fact they are explained mostly through humour and this makes this film a near perfect family entertainment. A rare great sequel, a film that exceeds expectations and delivers to its maximum potential. This movie is an absolute must see.