So tonight I went and watched Ice Age: The Meltdown. When the first one came out, I loved it. Between the little squirrel like creature that was absolutely hilarious, to the beautiful animation that is reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes in look, to the general enjoyment of just watching a fun movie, it was great entertainment.
The second one had a tough legacy to full fill and it pulled it off nicely. The squirrel like creature has a bit of a bigger role in this one and I could have just watched the 15-20 minutes that feature him and his quest to get his acorn and would have been happy with the movie. But there is the rest of the story too, and it is just as fun to watch.
I won’t go into too many details, but the general plot of the movie is the ice age that they were fleeing in the first one is now coming to and end, and the valley they’ve made their home isn’t the ideal place for them to be when the glacier melts. There are a few spots where they break out in to song and dance that seem just a little out of place, but they end up working alright and don’t go on too long.
Another thing that I liked a lot about this movie, and the original, is that they make up jokes that stand on their own. In the Shrek movies, although they are also alright movies, I just felt they relied too much on parody and very simplistic jokes. The jokes in the Ice Age movies, although not completely original, stand on their own accord. You don’t need to have seen other movies to get the references or know another story to get the allusion. You can just watch and enjoy the movie.
All and all, a very enjoyable movie that for some reason, just reminds me of the Looney Tunes of old. And that is one of the highest complements I can pay a cartoon.
Mad-City Wedge 