Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006)

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha | 86 minutes | animation, comedy, family | Original voice cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Denny Dillon, Queen Latifah, Jay Leno, Josh Peck, Seann William Scott, Chris Wedge

On paper, ‘Ice Age 2: The Meltdown’ is a guaranteed bull’s eye. The funniest characters from part 1, aka Sid the sloth and the scene-stealing saber-toothed squirrel Scrat, who can’t get his acorn to safety, are (even) more prominent; independent scenes and story elements are now much more of their own creation than a hodgepodge of scenes from better animated films; and the old, trusty cast is back, while it’s complemented by many more quirky beasts to keep the audience entertained. Nothing wrong with that, you might say. And, admittedly, most of the jokes work quite nicely. The only question is whether “mostly”, and “quite nice” is sufficient. And whether it is enough for a film to be little more than a series of (potential) funny moments.

Now the film offers more than just jokes. There’s the storyline continued from Part One about Manny’s desire for a family, Diego’s struggle with his fear of water, and Sid’s quest for respect within the group. Actually, only Manny’s problem creates an emotional bond with the audience, although this theme is also developed a bit stale towards the end of the film. Following on from Manny’s need for family is Ellie’s discovery of her own identity as Mammoth, but this storyline is mostly humorous (she thinks she’s a possum); her own pathetic story and further (possible) romance with Manny is treated too weakly to hit dramatic target.

‘Ice Age 2’ is even more episodic in its structure than its predecessor. Our friends must flee from the approaching water and quickly get to a boat (associations with Noah’s Ark are obvious) at the end of the valley before everyone perishes. And along the way there is room for all kinds of funny and friendship-strengthening moments. In short, the film is essentially a “road movie”, a genre that has little inventiveness to offer from a story technical point of view. The film’s success therefore depends on the development of (the ties) between the characters on the one hand, and on the humor on the other. The first element is there, but not enough to keep you interested for a whole movie. Then the humor remains.

You can’t expect much humor from sulking Mammoth Manny, while Diego has to be tough and occasionally provide a cynical note. No, it’s Sid (John Leguizamo) who practically has to take the film on his shoulders as far as the comedy is concerned; apart from some nice new minor characters (especially the gallow humor spewing vultures offer a nice change in tone). And it must be said, he handles this task very well. His silly actions, the way he bullies Manny that he is on the brink of extinction (“brink of extinction is not a good time to be picky” he says, for example, when Manny criticizes Ellie), and his sympathetic, The touching character in fact ensures that ‘Ice Age 2’ still manages to stay afloat.

A fun individual scene takes place when Sid confronts Diego with his fear of water and teaches him to swim while hanging on some creepers (“Kick… and Claw!”). But also Sid’s encounter with many mini-sloths who mistake him for the fire god and because of this worship and imitate all his movements, deserves special mention. It’s like C3POs and the Wookies in ‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Jedi’, only fun(er) and with an unexpected twist. A relatively large role is then reserved for possums Eddie and Crash, a kind of combination of Chip and Dale and Ren and Stimpy, but they cannot be called a real success. Perhaps the little ones will laugh a lot at their hyperactive physical humor and glee.

But what about the little star of ‘Ice Age’, Scrat? Well, he’s back in the picture regularly, and his fights with the jerk of his own will are getting more and more absurd, so if this is what you like (more and more), you’ll have fun. However, it is also possible that his antics will bore you. It seems that the filmmakers try too hard to come up with funny situations. And again he just can’t reach it. And again he sinks his teeth into the ice to get a grip. And look, he’s being pulled apart so much that his eyes almost pop out. But this was fun in part 1 too, wasn’t it? Yes, but it’s different. In that movie, his funny battle was more of a hilarious bonus than a multifaceted story element from which we expect great things. He also came across as tragicomic then, and now more like a showman who performs a trick for the audience. However, he can still entertain. For example, look at the moment in a vulture’s nest when he suddenly looks mother vulture in the eye. His only solution: squeak like a bird and flap his paws. In short, ‘Ice Age 2: The Meltdown’ is not bad and certainly has nice moments, but it is not a hit. It has enough humor and that little bit of heart to keep the viewer interested, but in the end it’s little more than a stretched, varyingly successful sitcom. So for the enthusiast.