Ice Age Meltdown Melts Your Heart

In “Ice Age: The Meltdown” the lovable Ice Age mammals are back. Manny the Wooly Mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), Sid the Sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo) and Diego the Saber Tooth Cat (voiced by Denis Leary) have had a successful herd for a little while, and Sid has opened a camp for kids to play in the melting ice. The valley they had nestled in was surrounded by ice cliffs that acted as a huge dam. The problem is the ice all around them is melting and a great flood is on its way. The only hope for all the other animals and our heroes is a boat at the end of the valley when the flood hits. Along the way, Manny is upset because he thinks he is the last of his kind. When he finds Elle (voiced by Queen Latifah), a mammoth who thinks she is an 11-foot tall opossum, he is very relieved to find he is not the last one left, but he’s worried because of Elle’s certainty that she is an opossum, not a mammoth. To add to their problems, two fierce prehistoric fish frozen in the ice have now melted and are on the hunt, and Diego is afraid of water. All this, with the added comic relief of Scrat in constant pursuit of his acorn, makes this a fun film for all ages.

This sequel to “Ice Age” lives up to the reputation set by the first film in 2002. Scrat provides a welcome break but the film as a whole is enjoyable. Parents and kids can laugh and learn with each other as this prehistoric comedy unfolds. Many different types of ancient animals live in the valley and the herd interacts with several of them enabling movie goers to learn a little about them and their time. For those who know a lot about that time keep your eyes open for some hidden jokes that others will not recognize. Also be sure to watch the first movie before you see “Ice Age 2” because there are many references to the first film that moviegoers may miss. The first film is on video. Directed by Carlos Saldanha and starring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Dennis Leary, and Queen Latifah. This movie is fun for the whole family. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.