Amazon.com
Just as A Bug's Life was a computer-animated comedy inspired by Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, the funny and often enthralling Ice Age is a digital re-imagining of the Western Three Godfathers. The heroes of this unofficial remake (set 20,000 years ago, during the titular Paleolithic era) are a taciturn mastodon named Manfred (voiced by Ray Romano), an annoying sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo), and a duplicitous saber-toothed tiger, Diego (Denis Leary). The unlikely team encounters a dying, human mother who relinquishes her chirpy toddler to the care of these critters. Hoping, against all odds, to return the little guy to his migrating tribe, Manfred and his associates need to establish trust among themselves, not an easy thing in a harsh world of predators, prey, and pushy glaciers. Audiences that have become accustomed to the rounded, polished, storybook look of Pixar's house brand of computer animation (Monsters, Inc.) will find the blunt edges and chilly brilliance of Ice Age--evoking the harsh, dangerous environment of a frozen world--a wholly different, and equally pleasing, trip. Recommended for ages 4 and up. --Tom Keogh
DVD features
The new short film "Scrat's Missing Adventure: Gone Nutty" showcases the well-timed animation--strongly influenced by Chuck Jones's Road Runner-Wile E. Coyote shorts--that made that frantic little character so effective as a comic foil. It's interesting to compare the Oscar®-winning short "Bunny" with Ice Age. The viewer can see the Blue Sky artists developing the more angular and less detailed look that's become the studio's signature. Like Sid the Sloth, the title character in "Bunny" suggests a slightly frayed walk-around figure from a theme park; the texture of her coat anticipates the old-chenille-bathrobe look of Manny the Mammoth's pelt. The clips in different languages, trailers, directors' commentary, and making-of features feel rather standard, but listening to John Leguizamo experiment with different voices before settling on the exaggerated lisp for Sid offers an unusual and funny insight into the development of an animated character. --Charles Solomon
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