Ice Age Review

Ice Age


Release Date: 21st March 2002 - Australia


Production Companies
20th Century Fox (presents)
Blue Sky Studios

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 81 minutes


Budget: $59,000,000

Box Office Gross: $383,257,136 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In the year 20,000 BC, three mammals, including a clumsy sloth named Sid, a gruff woolly mammoth called Manfred and a sabre-toothed tiger Diego, find themselves tasked with bringing a human infant safely to his father. On their way, they must face perils that lay ahead in a treacherous journey set by the beginning of the Ice Age.


Voice Cast
Ray Romano - Manny
John Leguizamo - Sid
Denis Leary - Diego
Goran Visnjic - Soto
Jack Black - Zeke
Cedric the Entertainer - Carl
Stephen Root - Frank/Start
Alan Tudyk - Lenny/Dab
Diedrich Bader - Oscar
Lorri Bagley - Jennifer
Jane Krakowski - Rachel
Chris Wedge - Scrat/Dodo
Tara Strong - Roshan/Start

Peter Ackerman - Dodo/Macrauchenia

P.J. Benjamin - Dodo

Josh Hamilton - Dodo/Aardvark

Denny Dillon - Glyptodon

Mitzi McCall - Glyptodont

Crew

Director - Chris Wedge
Co-Director - Carlos Saldanha
Story/Screenplay - Michael J. Wilson

Additional Story/Lead 

Animators - James Bresnahan

and Mike Thurmeier
Additional Story - Doug Compton,

Jeff Siergey and Xeth Feinberg

Additional Story/Animator - Galen T. Chu

Story Consultants - David Silverman

and Jon Vitti

Screenplay - Michael Berg and Peter Ackerman

Associate Producer - John C. Donkin

Executive Producer - Christopher Meledandri
Producer - Lori Forte

Additional Voice Director - Charlie Adler
Production Designer - Brian McEntee
Character Designer - Peter DeSeve

Visual Development Artist - Buck Lewis

Concept Designer - Michael Peraza Jr.

Background Designer - Phillip A. Cruden

Head of Story - Yvette Kaplan

Story Artist/Lead Layout Artist - William H. Frake III

Modelling Supervisor - Mike Defeo

Character Materials/Effects - Eric Maurer

Additional Character Materials/

Sequence Lighting Lead - Jodi Whitsel

Environmental Materials/Staging Lead -

Michael Eringis

Managing Technical Director - Michael J. Travers

Supervising Technical Director - Dave Walvoord

Lead Technical Animator - Mark Piretti
Lead 3D Layout Artist - Robert Cardone

Master Lighting Lead - David Esnault

Sequence Lighting Lead - Cliff Boam

Sequence Lighting Lead/Effects - Mitch Kopelman

Effects Lead - Robert V. Cavaleri

Editor - John Carnochan

Associate Editor - Tim Nordquist

Re-Recording Mixer/Sound Designer/

Supervising Sound Editor - Sean Garnhart

Supervising Foley Editor - Steven Visscher

Sound Effects Editors - Craig Berkey,

Lewis Goldstein and Paul Urmson

Foley Mixer - George A. Lara

Re-Recording Mixers - Doug Hemphill,

Sean Garnhart and Paul Massey
Music - David Newman

Music Recordist & Mixer - John Kurlander

Awards

2003 Academy Awards
Best Animated Feature - Chris Wedge (Nominated)


Review

It's been a long time since I last watched an Ice Age movie, and having posted the fourth instalment of Continental Drift, I didn't do any of the first three chapters recently, which I barely have time to watch and do all of them. At the dawn of the millennium, computer animation was coming to its own as features such as Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. and DreamWorks' Shrek were the big winners, and no young child should ever miss these two or the whole family. ICE AGE came out in that era with a varying degree of success. As the years rolled by, it became a cash cow series soon after the movie became successful. Most people would choose the original over the next three simply because it's not as comical and relies on some heartbreak. It came to me several times that I had watched it right through from when I was ten years old until now. It's the best instalment of the series. However, ICE AGE 1 still retains its spunk and the formula inside. I don't see the big deal why this was substantial enough to start the franchise.

Impressive and terrific is for the voice acting and characterisation conceived for this animated buddy comedy. Ray Romano lends his voice, and so do John Leguizamo and Denis Leary for three of the main characters who were unlikely mismatched to be together as a trio. I realised Jack Black and Alan Tudyk provide additional voice talent for the two supporting antagonists.

Visually, the animation is nothing unique from the first ICE AGE feature. Some of it shows its age compared to modern animated movies. That's why it's good for a laugh and is an exciting film. To all viewers, the sequels are not as good as its predecessor.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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