Originally published on March 28, 2006:
Computer-graphic illustration has pretty much taken over all animation feature films since "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life" and "Antz" arrived on the scene in 1996-97. Other movies such as "Shrek," "A Shark's Tale," "Finding Nemo," "Monster's Inc.," "Robots," "Toy Story II," "Valiant," "Chicken Little" and countless others have used this technology ad nauseam.
The only recent exceptions being the intricately-drawn works of Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away," "Howl's Moving Castle"); the stop-action efforts of Tim Burton ("Nightmare Before Christmas," "The Corpse Bride") and the silly claymation magic of Steve Box and Nick Park ("Wallace & Gromit").
Otherwise, CGI, like the huge mammals of the newest 20th Century-Fox feature, "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown," seems to rule the known universe. That's why it's as important as ever to have a deep, funny, coherent storyline to go with such technology. sadly, this one does not.
Picking up from where the surprise 2002 hit left off, three misfits, Manny the Mammoth (a giant elephant-like mastodon voiced by Ray Romano), Diego, the smylodon (saber-tooth tiger, Denis Leary) and a goofy three-toed sloth, Sid (John Leguizamo), are wandering through the late Pleistocene epoch.
After saving a little baby and returning it to its parents in the first film, this time the duo discovers (thanks to a wise-talking charlatan turtle, Fast Tony, a funny Jay Leno) that a giant glacial dam is rapidly melting, threatening to flood the valley the animals residing therein.
All of this is supposed to take place within three days, so the early mammal inhabitants, including the cave lions, the wholly rhinos, and the other bizarre animal creations - sort of based on what they might have actually looked like - have to leave in a big hurry. They are also tracked by huge dinosaur fish-like creatures as the waters rise.
While this slow migration of creatures is moving towards the end of the valley, a group of evil vultures are waiting for the expected fatalities (giving comical traffic reports and singing "Food, Glorious Food" from "Oliver!"). And, as in the last "Ice Age" movie, Scrap the saber- tooth squirrel, is still trying to grab that elusive acorn while being foiled at every turn.
During the trek, the intrepid trio meets two obnoxious possums, Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck) and an idiot mammoth, Ellie (the vastly overexposed Queen Latifah), who thinks she's a possum. It's a most UNfunny and depressing premise, friends.
These introductory scenes with the new group are especially irritating, as Crash and Eddie rate right up there with Jerry the Mouse and Bart Simpson in the annoyance factor. Plus, Manny, fearing that Ellie and he are the last of their species, makes an awkward and ill- conceived attempt at a pick up line, causing more conflict (as well as a few embarrassed parents trying to explain things to their kids in the audience).
Meanwhile, Sid is taken captive by a group of sycophant sloths who worship him as a "fire god," and Diego is battling his fear of the water - which is flooding and rising all over the place.
Needless to say, the glacial barrier finally gives way, sending tons of water cascading towards the helpless animals, causing Manny, Diego and Sid to perform acts of derring-do to to save the herds.
And while the animation, with its sharp white backgrounds, lush green post-Ice Age thaw scenes and beautiful azure water segments are amazingly realistic and lifelike, the story leaves a bit to be desired.
I do recommend this picture, especially for the little ones, but some adults may not feel the same charm or affection they had for the original, which had a heart as well as a soul.
