Ice Age Review
by Aleksandar Zambelli (IHATESPAMzambelli AT posluh DOT hr)April 3rd, 2002
Movie Review:
"Ice Age"
Copyright (c) 2002 Aleksandar Zambelli
Originally published in The Crimson, a Florida Tech student-run
publication.
Genre: animation
Directed by Chris Wedge
Voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary
20th Century Fox made a very gutsy move when a month ago they released a very unconventional trailer for their upcoming animated feature "Ice Age." The two-minute theatrical trailer featured the actual first few minutes of the movie, in which a jumpy saber-tooth squirrel attempted to bury an acorn into ice, causing the ice to crack and eventually triggering an entire glacial cataclysm. Although the trailer seemed more like a Pixar short and didn't truly present the actual movie, it was a huge success and attracted millions of viewers into the theaters as the movie opened on Friday. An estimated $50 million was made just over the course of the weekend, completely obliterating competitive movies, "Resident Evil" and "Showtime," at the box-office.
The cartoon is set 20,000 years ago, after the era of dinosaurs and at the Dawn of Man. The ice age is approaching, so all animals start migrating to the south. Sid the Sloth (Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond") is left behind by his family and friends. Clumsy and big-mouthed, he manages to immediately anger a pair of rhinos, so he seeks protection from a mammoth named Manfred (John Leguizamo, "The Pest," "Titan A.E."). Manfred doesn't want to migrate south with the rest of the animals, so Sid decides to tag along, much to Manfred's displeasure. The two of them accidentally stumble upon a human child belonging to a nearby tribe which was attacked by sabertooth tigers. The tigers, led by Soto (Goran Visnjic, "ER," "The Deep End") want to harm the child, so Manfred decides to spite them by returning the child to the humans. One of the tigers, Diego the Sabertooth (Denis Leary, "The Job"), offers to lead the trio back to the humans but actually plots to set up an ambush. As the unlikely group travels across the snow and ice, friendships are made and Diego finds himself faced with a moral conflict.
Although the production of "Ice Age" began before "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc.," there are some striking similarities between the three cartoons. All three are computer animated features. While "Shrek" revolves around the idea of mismatched characters becoming unlikely friends (an ogre and a donkey), "Monsters, Inc." focuses on two characters trying to return a human child to its real world. "Ice Age" seems to blend these two premises together into one - three characters become unlikely friends while trying to return a human child to its own kind. If it weren't coincidence, it'd sure be plagiarism (and you know what artists thinks about that). However, this is not a problematic issue in "Ice Age," simply because the movie is fun, amusing and generally - good. The idea of friendship overcoming hostility is as old as storytelling itself, but some tricks never cease to work, and this is one of them. Such is the risk of using formulas in screenplays - they will only work half the time. But when they do… it's great.
The computer animation is flawless; the character movements are natural and articulate. Much of the film's humor is based on simple visual gags, such as eye twitching or other facial expressions. It's mind-blowing to even think that 10 years ago digitized pictures were an accomplishment; now we have entire computer generated cartoons made in less time, for less money and looking as good as hand-drawn cartoons.
While "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." borrowed voices from well-known movie stars such as Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, John Goodman and Bill Crystal, "Ice Age" seems to have a thing for TV personalities. Ray Romano is best known (if only known) for his work on "Everybody Loves Raymond;" Denis Leary has been a strong comedy presence on TV for over a decade now (in lack of TV, feel free to download his song "Asshole" off the Internet); last but not least, Goran Visnjic can be seen on "ER" every Thursday as Dr. Luka Kovac. The voices are all well cast as even the monotone-voiced Ray Romano manages to add depth to his character.
The movie, directed by newcomer Chris Wedge, was written by a whole team of screenwriters, led by Peter Ackerman. It features some great gags and while it does offer some pop-culture references, it doesn't go over the top like "Shrek" did. There are the inevitable references to evolution and extinction (dodo birds all die of their own stupidity), but some of the best bits come when a Goonies-like ride down an ice tunnel turns into a parody of an Olympic luge contest. Most of the movie's jokes will not have you rolling on the floor laughing, but will definitely get a consistent smile on your face.
Finally, there's The Squirrel. Although its character has nothing to do with the plot, it appears throughout the movie as a pleasant sideshow attraction, chasing its acorn, always getting close, but never quite getting there. It's the tragicomic sort of character we've learned to love from classic cartoons like "Roadrunner" and "Tom & Jerry." Even if some of you emerge from the movie theater disappointed by "Ice Age," you will still spend many moments talking about the squirrel. Perhaps it deserves its own cartoon? Well, that's what sequels are for… Or prequels. Whatever
seems to be the going trend.
Score: 8/10
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