It's hard to warm up to Ice Age 2 when most of it feels like a furry retread.
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
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Reviews Counted:140
Fresh:80
Rotten:60
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Impressive animation carries this sequel, as the story is not up to par. Kids will surely enjoy it, but most everyone else will wish to see more of the mute ice squirrel and less of the main characters.
Theatrical Release:31-03-2006
Synopsis: In ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN, the sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbuster CGI film "Ice Age" are back – Manny the woolly mammoth, Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, and the hapless... In ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN, the sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbuster CGI film "Ice Age" are back – Manny the woolly mammoth, Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, and the hapless prehistoric squirrel/rat known as Scrat. In the new film, from director Carlos Saldanha and the Academy Award® winning creators of "Ice Age" and "Robots," the Ice Age is coming to an end, and the animals are delighting in the melting paradise that is their new world. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary return to voice our three heroes: Manny, Sid, and Diego. New cast members include Academy Award® nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago"), Seann William Scott (the "American Pie" trilogy), late night talk show king Jay Leno, Will Arnett ("Arrested Development") and Josh Peck ("Drake and Josh"). Our trio is still together and enjoying the perks of their now melting world. Manny may be ready to start a family, but nobody has seen another mammoth for a long time; Manny thinks he may be the last one. That is, until he miraculously finds Ellie (voiced by Queen Latifah), the only female mammoth left in the world. Their only problems: They can't stand each other – and Ellie somehow thinks she's a possum! Ellie comes with some excess baggage in the form of her two possum "brothers"...Crash and Eddie (voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck), a couple of daredevil pranksters and cocky, loud-mouthed troublemakers. Manny, Sid, and Diego quickly learn that the warming climate has one major drawback: A huge glacial dam holding off oceans of water is about to break, threatening the entire valley. The only chance of survival lies at the other end of the valley. So our three heroes, along with Ellie, Crash and Eddie, form the most unlikely family – in any "Age" – as they embark on a mission across an ever-changing, increasingly dangerous landscape towards their salvation. The film also presents the continuing adventures, or misadventures, of Scrat, who has an even larger role this time. ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN has everything you loved about the first movie with even more comedy, action, and spectacular visuals. Our three heroes' unyielding friendship lives on with some memorable new characters thrown into the mix. The result will thaw hearts of all ages. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Drea de Matteo
Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Drea de Matteo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Will Arnett, Stephen Root, Alan Tudyk
Screenwriter: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow
Producer: Lori Forte
Composer: John Powell
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Ice Age: The Meltdown
The animation is excellent, and all the jokes, both visual and verbal work. It's worth taking the kids, even if you have to rent some.
The physical comedy is still first rate and should entertain most kids.
The periodic fits of inspiration -- most of them courtesy of Scrat -- are just welcome breaks from an onslaught of witless pratfalling and white noise.
Watching this zoo of long-vanished quadrupeds, you're left with an eerie message for our own warming times: They fought the thaw, and the thaw won.
Leguizamo's wispy voice work shows that creating compelling animated characters takes more than just placing a sitcom star in front of a mic. Yes, I'm looking at you, David Schwimmer.
[The film] has lots of energy, some decent animation and good voice-over work -- but no real story and few chuckles.
Maybe it's not quite as deep as its predecessor, but still you're bound to warm up to "Ice Age: The Meltdown," because of the universal emotions shared by its characters.
How nice it is to see the whole Ice Age gang back, but unfortunately, this sequel falls under the "cute-but-not-quite-as-good-as-the-original" category.
This movie feels right more often than the first 'Ice Age,' which means a third installment is inevitable and eagerly anticipated.
A lot of sequels are complete meltdowns but this one stands up to the elements.
If you're under the age of 10 you will likely enjoy Ice Age: The Meltdown.
For whatever it lacks in the way of a compelling story, Ice Age: The Meltdown still manages to give family audiences what they want and expect: lovable characters, gorgeous computer-generated animation, and laughter.
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