Ice Age (2002)

Directors:

Chris Wedge
Carlos Saldanha (co-director)

Writers:

Michael J. Wilson (story)
Michael Berg (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family

Tagline:

The Coolest Event In 16,000 Years.

Plot:

Set during the Ice Age, a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe.

Plot Keywords:

Ice Age | Baby | Ice | Sloth | Mammoth

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Ray Romano	...	Manfred (voice)
John Leguizamo	...	Sid (voice)
Denis Leary	...	Diego (voice)
Goran Visnjic	...	Soto (voice)
Jack Black	...	Zeke (voice)
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Carl (voice)
Stephen Root	...	Rhino / Start (voice)
Diedrich Bader	...	Saber-Toothed Tiger (voice)
Alan Tudyk	...	Oscar / Dab the Dodo (voice)
Lorri Bagley	...	Female Sloth (voice)
Jane Krakowski	...	Female Sloth (voice)
Peter Ackerman	...	Dodo / Macrauchenia (voice)
P.J. Benjamin	...	Dodo (voice)
Josh Hamilton	...	Dodo / Aardvark (voice)
Chris Wedge	...	Dodo / Scrat (voice)

Also Known As:

The Ice Age (Canada: English title) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild peril.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:6 (canton of the Grisons) | Denmark:A | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Australia:G | USA:PG | Portugal:M/6 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:I | India:U | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:G | South Korea:All | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | Indonesia:SU

Company:

Blue Sky Studios

Trivia:

Movie signage and the book version include a female sloth named Sylvia, who is not seen in the released movie. In the book, Sid manages to avoid accompanying her on the migration south, because she is interested in a commitment.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the fight with the dodos, Diego disappears when Manfred is keeping the melon away from the dodos. When the melon goes flying, Diego is back beside Manfred.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Freaky Mammal: Well, why don't they call it The Big Chill? Or The Nippy Era? I'm just sayin', how do we know it's an Ice Age?
Freaky Mammal: Because... of all the ice.
Freaky Mammal: Well, things just got a little chillier.

Movie Connections:

References Titanic (1997)

Soundtrack:

Sound Off (Duckworth Chant)

CGI fun for all.

This is obviously aimed at the same market as Monsters Inc and Shrek, but is different in its less cartoony feel (despite the deliberately cartoony characteristics of the lead creatures). The story is not one that had a massive in your face moral at the end (its more like its tugging at your shirt sleeves) but chooses just to tell a story about relationships between different "animals." You know the outcome, but you can't help being drawn in.

The characters themselves are far more than their voices (the advantage of less famous actors doing the voices), unlike most Disney movies. They are well rounded and completely believable, strangely. The group dynamics are brilliantly well presented and the character revelations and quirks are subtle and enjoyable. You will find yourself rooting for them far sooner than you would like to think.

The animation is brilliant, as you would expect, and you will be praying for the opportunity to go on the ice slide in the movie. You will fall in love with the characters, especially the comic relief of the prehistoric squirrel and its desperate attempts to bury its nuts. I came out wanting the obligatory merchandise, especially the sloth toy, only to be disappointed the next day when I couldn't find anything vaguely related.

Which, strangely, makes the movie all the more pure.

Better than Monsters Inc or Shrek.