Ice Age (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Chris Wedge
Carlos Saldanha (co-director)

Writers:

Michael J. Wilson (story)
Michael Berg (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Animation | Family | Comedy

Tagline:

The Coolest Event In 16,000 Years.

Plot:

Set during the Ice Age, a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe.

Plot Keywords:

Ice Age | Ice | Baby | Sloth | Mammoth

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 23 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 5	7:00 PM	FX
Mon. July 6	4:00 PM	FX

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Ray Romano	...	Manfred (voice)
John Leguizamo	...	Sid (voice)
Denis Leary	...	Diego (voice)
Goran Visnjic	...	Soto (voice)
Jack Black	...	Zeke (voice)
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Carl (voice)
Stephen Root	...	Rhino / Start (voice)
Diedrich Bader	...	Saber-Toothed Tiger (voice)
Alan Tudyk	...	Oscar / Dab the Dodo (voice)
Lorri Bagley	...	Female Sloth (voice)
Jane Krakowski	...	Female Sloth (voice)
Peter Ackerman	...	Dodo / Macrauchenia (voice)
P.J. Benjamin	...	Dodo (voice)
Josh Hamilton	...	Dodo / Aardvark (voice)
Chris Wedge	...	Dodo / Scrat (voice)

Also Known As:

The Ice Age (Canada: English title) (working title)
La era de hielo (Argentina) (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
La era del hielo (Colombia) (Venezuela) [es]
Ледниковый период (Russia) [ru]
Ísöld (Iceland) [is]
A Era do Gelo (Brazil) [pt]
A Idade do Gelo (Portugal) [pt]
Buz devri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Epoka lodowcowa (Poland) [pl]
I epohi ton pagetonon (Greece) [el]
Ice Age (Finland) [fi]
Ice Age (Germany) [de]
Ice age - Jäätikön sankarit (Finland) (DVD box title) [fi]
Ice age. L'edat del gel (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Ice age: La edad de hielo (Spain) [es]
Istid (Norway) (dubbed version) [no]
Jääaeg (Estonia) [et]
Jégkorszak (Hungary) [hu]
L'âge de glace (France) [fr]
L'ère de glace (Canada: French title) [fr]
L'era glaciale (Italy) [it]
La edad de hielo (Spain) [es]
Ledeno doba (Croatia) [hr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild peril.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:6 (canton of the Grisons) | Denmark:A | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Australia:G | USA:PG | Portugal:M/6 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:I | India:U | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:G | South Korea:All | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | Indonesia:SU

Company:

Blue Sky Studios

Trivia:

In the movie, Manny is referred to as Manfred, Manny, that neeny weeny mammoth, Manny the Moody Mammoth, Manny the Melancholy, friend, Jumbo, the mammoth, and buddy.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first shot of the human camp, the camp is on the left side of the river that leads to the waterfall. During the tiger attack, the camp switches places to the right (note where the baby's mom jumps).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Freaky Mammal: Well, why don't they call it The Big Chill? Or The Nippy Era? I'm just sayin', how do we know it's an Ice Age?
Freaky Mammal: Because... of all the ice.
Freaky Mammal: Well, things just got a little chillier.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Brother Bear (2003)

Soundtrack:

Send Me on My Way

CGI fun for all.

This is obviously aimed at the same market as Monsters Inc and Shrek, but is different in its less cartoony feel (despite the deliberately cartoony characteristics of the lead creatures). The story is not one that had a massive in your face moral at the end (its more like its tugging at your shirt sleeves) but chooses just to tell a story about relationships between different "animals." You know the outcome, but you can't help being drawn in.

The characters themselves are far more than their voices (the advantage of less famous actors doing the voices), unlike most Disney movies. They are well rounded and completely believable, strangely. The group dynamics are brilliantly well presented and the character revelations and quirks are subtle and enjoyable. You will find yourself rooting for them far sooner than you would like to think.

The animation is brilliant, as you would expect, and you will be praying for the opportunity to go on the ice slide in the movie. You will fall in love with the characters, especially the comic relief of the prehistoric squirrel and its desperate attempts to bury its nuts. I came out wanting the obligatory merchandise, especially the sloth toy, only to be disappointed the next day when I couldn't find anything vaguely related.

Which, strangely, makes the movie all the more pure.

Better than Monsters Inc or Shrek.