About the Movie
While Ice Age touched hearts with its depiction of the strange ways in which the 3 characters bond with each other despite the initial distrust n motives, Ice Age 2 explores the strong bind between friends who have seen each other at their best and their worst and who know that sometimes the best way to set a relation in stone might be to just let it go. It tells the story of the 3 well known and loved characters of Manny the Mammoth(Ray Romano of Everybody loves Raymond fame), Sid the sloth(John Leguizamo) and Diego the sabertooth tiger(Denis Leary).
And of course who can forget the hero of the story that runs parallel to these 3, the ever persevering, goal oriented Scrat the squirrel(Chris Scrat)
Time’s passed and the three have formed a ‘herd’ of their own, their own little family, can be compared a bit to the Danny, Jess and Joey from Full House and live at the end of a valley. While Manny who’s experienced the loss of family in his past is finally coming to terms with the fact and getting ready to move on with life, Diego is forced to confront his own fears of water which he tries to hide and to prove to the world that he is indeed unafraid of anything, and then we have Sid who is out to prove that he too is an important member of their trio and that he deserves as much respect as any of the other two.
Add to this a female Mammoth Elle (Queen Latifah) who might be the only mammoth besides Manny on the planet, trouble is that she thinks she’s an opossum and comes with the additional drawbacks of her brothers, the two opossums Crash (Sean William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck) who are troublemakers of magnanimous limits. And while Manny is trying to convince Elle about her true identity for their “duty to their species” Diego has to content with the fact that the ice is melting and the world as he knows it might be underwater sooner than later, and Sid is trying to establish his role in the pack by ‘helping’ Diego fight his fear…
The movie follows their race for survival against the melting ice, nature versus their indomitable spirits, and the precious life’s lessons they learn on the way, all this while dealing with Sid’s kidnapping by miniature sloths, Elle’s stubbornness which almost gets them killed not once, but twice, Diego’s ego, Manny’s struggle to let go of his past and his awkward attempts for Elle’s favor, Vultures with an eye on their hides and what’s inside them and yes, two monsters set free from the ice whose sole purpose is to Attack, Eat, Attack.
This movie is a good watch not only for kids but also for adults as there are parts of conversation which might not exactly be covered under PG
Eg. Manny: Well, for example you have a big butt
Elle: Really, oh, you’re just saying that
Manny: No, No I mean it! It’s the biggest butt I’ve ever seen!
The movie lives up to its predecessor albeit in a slightly different format perhaps. But it’s a must watch for all, not just for the trio but also for Scrat’s eternal pursuit for the acorn, will he get what he wants? Will the herd survive? Will Manny and Elle save the mammoths? Will Elle even accept the fact she’s a mammoth? Will Sid ever be intelligent? Will Diego attack and conquer water? Will things change and will the three always be together? For the answers you shall have to watch the movie for yourself!
Animation
The animation leaves one speechless at times, like the scenes where Elle recalls her past, the melting and breaking of the ice and the huge tidal wave heading towards the helpless animals.
Though the movie is short, its crisp. There’s nearly a laugh a minute and the personalities of the characters have been drawn out clearly. The story is well told and projected, there is no confusion in Carlos Saldanha’s direction. The movie is carried out with no lapses or breaks or unrelated scenes, they blend smoothly into each other with no gaps in between.
In short, the movie is worth the watch!