Ice Age: The Meltdown (March 31, 2006)

This is the first sequel at ice Age and the third feature film produced by Blue Sky Studios. In the film, Manny, Sid, and Diego attempt to escape an impending flood and during this adventure Manny finds love. This plot is fine. It feels like an inevitable extension from the first film as we saw Manny struggle with the reality of being the only Mammoth so the only direction the story could go was for him to find a mate. It would have been more interesting, however, if he just made peace with the fact that he was alone in the world and once he is gone, his whole species is extinct. You do not see this type of existential thought in children’s movies and I think it would have been a unique and important topic to cover. But as it stands it was cute seeing Manny develop a relationship with Ellie (though she was infuriating during the first half when she believed she was an opossum. Manny, Sid, and Diego were fine. They did not really change much; the biggest was Diego who overcame his fear of water. I think between the first and second film he has become my favorite character. Sid is his eternally annoying self and I wish he would be replaced. Moving on, the technical advancements between this and the first fill are vast. The computer animation is beautiful and very well done- with particular attention to the fur on the animals. Overall, Ice Age: The Meltdown is a competent sequel. The graphics have improved dramatically which makes it more bearable to look at. But the plot is stale as this concept has already run its course. I wish the story would have been something different than a simple cross-country adventure, but the romance is, admittedly, pretty cute.

Final Rating: 5/10