Most of the children’s films I’ve seen have been horribly formulaic, this one less formulaic than most. He believes that he and Ellie are the last of their kind. He has to decide whether his family is there with Ellie and the group, or elsewhere. Manny has the most complicated of challenges ahead: Family. I won’t spoil how Sid escapes, but this experience does renew his confidence.ĭiego must choose between the survival of his friends and his fear of water. Naturally, the first thing that comes to the minds of Sid’s followers is to sacrifice him in the volcano, on the assumption that he’s a godâ€”he’ll live. You see, Sid, a sloth, happens to have discovered fire. There’s an entertaining side-plot in which Sid regains his confidence when abducted by a group of miniature sloths who worship him. The perils to befall them include breaking ice floes, bursting geysers and a couple of bizarre monsters tracking them from the nearby icy waters. Some crises must occur, of course, to add a bit of catharsis to the journey. It’s not a particularly unforeseeable event that Manny will find himself taken with the newly introduced female wooly mammoth, Ellie (Queen Latifah), who incidentally believes she’s a possumâ€”sibling to Eddie (Seann William Scott) and Crash (Josh Peck). There are wisecracks to be had, for sure, but the real story for adults and children here is the cameraderie between Manny, Diego and Sid. Any left behind will get picked off by the greedy vultures that keep watch from above. All the animals must make it to a “boat” far on the other side of nowhere, of course. There’s a wheeling-dealing character, Fast Tony (Jay Leno), whose self-interested doomsaying (he’s arguably the first to corner the market in underwater breathing apparatuses) turns out to be correctâ€”much to his own surprise. All manner of creatures swim and play in the water, unaware of the impending glacial meltdown. After a brief opening with the recurring comic relief, Scrat, attempting to make way with an acorn, we find the familiar trio residing around what resembles a sort of water park. Naturally, Diego’s fear is going to be addressed directly. Manny fears extinction, Diego abhors water, and Sid has no confidence in himself.

The general format’s the same: They must go from point A to point B, and along the way will discover how to overcome their respective fears and/or insecurities.

Manny (Ray Romano), Diego (Denis Leary) and Sid (John Leguizamo) return for another go. Thus, we have not “Ice Age 2,” but “Ice Age: The Meltdown.” I can just imagine the umpteen meetings or memos that transpired to execute the change… but, seriously, let’s talk about the content. So someone figured out that sequels are inherently displeasing to the mind. â„¢ & Â©2006, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. Scrat (Chris Wedge) in ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN.

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