Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
By Frayed
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown opened in theaters all over the country yesterday. I'll admit that I was expecting a large number of small children to crowd the theater, but I wasn't expecting so many younger, and older adults, as well, to attend. Of course, parents will accompany their kids to the show, but I was surprized to see how many grown ups turned out to see this animated film without kids in tow. Did they know something I didn't?Apparently they did! Just as Shrek, Shrek 2, The Grinch, The Cat In The Hat, and other such feature length animated films before it, Ice Age 2 was laced with plenty of masked adult humor. I'm pleased to say, though, that it was very tastefully done, and not too over-the-top. The movie offered plenty of entertaining silliness for children of many ages, and brushed it with some light adult themed wit that was just far enough over the heads of small children, but clean enough not to offend the parents attending with children of an age that would understand it. Being the parent of young children I truly appreciated that.
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown basically recycled the same humor and theme of the first Ice Age. The animals are faced with a crisis, the melting of the ice which will flood their homes, and they have to migrate to a safer location. Manny the mammoth is still brooding over the loss of companionship with one of his own kind, Sid the sloth is still seeking the respect of his peers, and Diego realizes that even the strongest of the food chain can fall prey to fear. Scrat, the break-out character of Ice Age 1 that chased the acorn, is given a much bigger role. Rather than popping up in the beginning then not being seen again until the end, Scrat is making appearances all through the film. A much deserved part, in my opinion! There are two new break-out characters in this film, a couple of wily and mischievous oppossum that give the threesome quite a run for their money. Then there's Ellie, a mammoth and sister to the oppossum. She believes that she's a oppossum! Sometime in the future, I can see the two oppossum getting their own feature length film.
Over all, I thought this was a truly delightful animated film that adults and children alike will enjoy. Nothing stands out that will compare this film to some of the great feature animations of the past like Toy Story or Bambi, but I'm certain that it will do well at the box office, as most children's films do. It's worth the $7 a ticket, and your kids will thank you for it.
There are 6 comments on this review. View & post comments.