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 If
we learned anything about movies over the past year, it's that--to
quote Shakespeare--"the play's the thing." Judging by the box office
failure of star-driven vehicles like Jim Carrey's The
Majestic and special effects showcases like Final Fantasy:
The Spirits Within, it just goes to show you that people will
simply stay away from movie theaters if "the play" isn't "the thing."
Fortunately, Fox's new computer-animated comedy Ice Age is
more than just "the thing." It's an adorable family film that wintertime
moviegoers are sure to warm up to. Though comparisons are bound
to be made to DreamWorks' Shrek and
Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc.--two of the highest grossing
movies of 2001--it hardly matters. Thanks to cuddly characters and
a funny, irresistibly charming story, Ice Age stands on its
own as rock-solid entertainment that's sure to melt your heart.
Twenty-thousand years ago, the Earth was deep in the throes of a
dangerous Ice Age. With many of the planet's creatures heading south
for the long winter, Manfred--a.k.a. Manny--the mammoth (Ray Romano)
and his annoying companion Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) have their
hands...er, their paws full with Roshan, an adorable little baby
who's been separated from his family. They set out to reunite Roshan
with his tribe, not knowing that Diego (Denis Leary), a sinister
sabertooth tiger who's tagging along for the ride, is leading them
right into a trap. Manny, Sid, and Diego soon realize that they
got more than they bargained for with little Roshan, especially
when they consider that this tender toddler may one day grow up
to hunt them down.
Ice
Age starts out with a bang before slowing to a crawl, but it
gets better as it goes along and touches on some pretty heavy issues--specifically,
tolerance and racism. Like Monsters, Inc., the film concerns
a group of creatures who try to return a baby to its rightful owners,
but in this case, the baby's owners pose a threat to those very
same creatures. By the same token, that threat is responsible for
the baby's abandonment in the first place, since Diego's comrades
drove the humans away out of revenge for what the humans did to
them. Fortunately, the movie tackles these issues in a subtle way
without actually showing anything that might be too scary for kids.
Just when Ice Age starts to get a little too touchy-feely,
along comes Scrat (a cross between a squirrel and a rat) to save
the day. Scrat's obsession with his little acorn gets him into a
heap of trouble, and his presence is an obvious throwback to the
slapstick comedy of the classic Warner Bros. cartoons. He even resembles
Wile E. Coyote, whose own similar obsession with the Road Runner
also led to some painful hilarity (and on that note, the film is
the ultimate tribute to Road Runner creator Chuck Jones, who just
passed away at the age of 89).
In cartoons, your voice is all you have, and in that sense, you
couldn't have asked for a better cast. Ray Romano's self-deprecating
humor fits Manny like a glove, while John Leguizamo's comedic talents
come in handy as Romano's lazy, but charming partner in crime. In
addition, Denis Leary's menacing demeanor keeps your guessing which
way Diego's loyalties will turn, and ER's Goran Visnjic provides
an ominous voice for the leader of Diego's hungry pack.
Ice
Age may not match the witty, clever banter of Shrek or
the groundbreaking animation of Monsters, Inc., but it easily
encompasses a broader range of emotions. You'll go from laughing
out loud at the very sight of Scrat to getting all teary-eyed when
Manny learns the fate of his species. Ultimately though, Ice
Age points out the importance of loyalty to your friends--regardless
of race, color, or culture.
With a message like that, this "play" is more than just "the thing."
It's pretty darn cool.
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