Customer Reviews
No meltdown here 
2008-04-02
The adventure begins again. This storyline was cool and it was a fun movie. Children will learn about trusting and helping their friends. My daughter still laughs at when she watches it.
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, Gold! 
2008-03-15
You can't keep a good mammoth or sabre tooth tiger, or sloth down!
The gang is back, and this time, the effects of global warming are too obvious too miss. As the ice melts around them during their retreat, hilarious misadventures are the result. Manny meets a young female named Ellie (Queen Latifah) and a romance ensues only after he convinces her that she is not an oppossum. The other cast members, Diego and Sid join the new oppossum duo of Crash and Eddie, and the diverse herd searches for higher ground.
This, like the first film, is packed with comedy. The ensemble `performance' of Crash and Eddie, Diego and Sid, and the oppossum behaviour of perhaps the last female mammoth on earth is well written and only goes overboard on occassion. Two deep sea leviathans take up pursuit of the friends and force them to move on, no matter how `mammoth' the task is (ha!). Scrat, the acorn mad rodent, is still in this film as he continues his dogged pursuit of the holy grail of ALL acorns. The inclusion of a solid sound track serves to move the film along and to pay tribute to a genre that Queen Latifah has embraced whole heartedly.
The special features on this edition includes "No Time For Nuts", commentary, Meet Crash and Eddie featurettes, Sid's Sing and Dance, and DVD rom games.
I heartily recommend this film to any family. It is solid, clean, entertainment that can even cause a little discussion on global warming and its' effects upon our environment.
Look for it at your local video store or online at www.iceage2dvd.com
Tim Lasiuta
This Meltdown is not soggy at all 
2008-03-09
This is a sequel to the movie Ice Age (Single Disc Edition), and I will start by summarizing that movie very briefly: A lot happens. You say that is too brief? Okay.
In Ice Age, we follow the exploits of an unlikely trio of animals, that eventually agree to work together, and finally become friends. This is during the last ice age, and the trio consists of a woolly mammoth named Manfred or Manny, a saber-toothed tiger named Diego, and a giant sloth named Sid. In this animated feature-length film, Manny is voiced by Ray Romano, Diego is voiced by Denis Leery, and Sid is voiced by John Leguizamo. Through various adventures and misadventures, the trio bonds and becomes a very strange "herd."
Now in this sequel, a strange thing is happening in the Ice Age: the ice is melting. Not all of it is melting, and it is not melting fast, but it is melting. Our strange little herd, Manny, Diego, and Sid, find themselves in a big, bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by enormous walls of ice. If you think about it, that is not a good place to be when everything is melting. Sooner or later, that big bowl will fill up. Manny does not want to believe in The Meltdown at first, but reality convinces him eventually. What are they to do? The main story-line tells us how our unusual herd of friends survives, along with most of the other animals in the valley.
Another story-line is that Manny appears to be the only mammoth around. Is he the last of his kind? I think you can guess the answer, when you remember that this is a family movie, aimed at anyone from about age six and up. However, the trip from question to answer, on this issue, follows an interesting route, involving possums and Ellie, a strange but delightful character who plays a big role in the story.
As in the first film, Ray Romano, Denis Leery, and John Leguizamo give us very good voice performances that make Manny, Diego, and Sid into very interesting characters. Now, in this sequel, we get several very good voice performances from new characters. Queen Latifah was perfect as Ellie, bringing a little attitude to the film, along with a lot of lively, joyous, good-natured humor. Plus she has a voice that I just plain enjoy hearing. She fit the part of Ellie perfectly, I her whole voice performance.
Jay Leno as Fast Tony, a fast-talking, con-man of a turtle, who might occasionally know what he is talking about, sounds like he is having a lot of fun voicing the part, and he certainly help make the character interesting. Seann William Scott, as Crash, and Josh Peck, as Eddie, certainly gave us credible voices for Ellie's two brothers.
Music: I think that, for a movie, the music should walk a fine line between being present and noticeable enough to enrich the other aspects of the film, without overwhelming or dominating the film, unless the movie is a musical. For "Ice Age: The Meltdown," the music succeeds at finding that balance. For most of the film, the music sets the tone, and enhances the story, without distracting the viewer. There are two scenes, where that is not true. In one, the movie briefly gives us an old-fashioned musical sequence, that beautifully combines the type of choreography of a Broadway musical or a synchronized swimming, the music of an old Las Vegas show, and lyrics and "dancers" that would fit in with an episode of PBS's Nature about the food-chain! The story gets put on hold for moment, but that moment is so well done that it is welcome and thoroughly enjoyable. "Food, Glorious Food!" is a great sequence. The other musical detour is described below.
Animation: The animation in the first Ice Age (Single Disc Edition) movie was colorful, with well-defined characters, and with impossibly-large landscapes. The sequel follows in this tradition, plus gives us a new cast of Ice-Age animals that make a colorful and interesting bunch. They did a nice job of giving us different mammoths that are definitely all mammoths but are also very distinct animals. I am not sure I buy the idea of hyperactive possums, but Crash and Eddie are portrayed as clear and cute characters.
Scrat: In the first film, we met Scrat, a semi-saber-toothed proto-squirrel, who was obsessed with collecting and hoarding acorns. In "Ice Age: The Meltdown," Scrat makes quite a few brief cameo appearances. When poor Scrat dies, he goes to proto-squirrel heaven, where acorns abound, and the entire place is dominated by a giant, golden acorn. Scrat believes he has attained nirvana, and we see him run, in slow-motion, toward the Golden Acorn. During this sequence, we get another musical treat, reminiscent Hollywood musicals from before World War Two. But, Scrat reach the Golden Acorn? Is he really dead? If he is, what could stop him from reaching the goal of his dreams? The answer to these questions comes right at the end of the film, and will be a surprise that will make you smile.
Summary: While I was not thrilled by the first Ice Age movie the first time I watched it, I have come to like it much more over time, as a good family, feel-good film. Does the sequel match up? In most ways, it does. The animation and the voice characterizations are just as good, and the music might be better in the sequel than in the original. As to the plot quality, the original film had more heart to it, although the sequel came close, and the sequel would hold a slight edge in the humor department. Like the original film, I have enjoyed it more during repeat viewings than I did during the first viewing.
More of the Cast (voices):
Jay Leno ... Fast Tony (turtle)
Chris Wedge ... Scrat (proto-squirrel)
Peter Ackerman ... Dung Beetle Dad
Caitlin Rose Anderson ... Glypto Boy Billy / Beaver Girl
Connor Anderson ... Rhino Boy / Beaver Boy
Joseph Bologna ... Mr. Start
Jack Crocicchia ... Elk Boy
Peter DeSeve ... Condor Chick
Nicole DeFelice ... Start Girl
Debi Derryberry ... Diatryma Mom
Marshall Efron ... Start Dad
Tom Fahn ... Stu / Male Ox (voice)
Jason Fricchione ... Molehog Grandpa / Shovelmouth Male
James Edmund Godwin ... Traffic Vulture
George Jacobs ... Beaver Dad
Clea Lewis ... Female Mini Sloth / Dung Beetle Mom
Brian McFadden ... Glyptodon
Jansen Panettiere ... Shovelmouth Boy
Gregory Romano ... Start Boy 1
Matthew Romano ... Start Boy 2
Stephen Root ... Aardvark Dad
Carlos Saldanha (also the director) ... Dodo
Manoela Scarpa Saldanha ... Molehog Kid 1
Sofia Scarpa Saldanha ... Molehog Kid 2
Reyna Shaskan ... Diego's Bird Girl
James Sie ... Freaky Male
Cindy Slattery ... Aardvark Mom
Mindy Sterling ... Female Ox
Alex Sullivan ... James
Renee Taylor ... Mrs. Start
Alan Tudyk ... Cholly
Recommended: Yes, for families with children age six and up.
Wrong Aspect Ratio Listed-Blu-Ray 2008-03-05
The Amazon specs listed this as 1.85 AR while watching it last night @ 1:1 pixel mapping it is in fact 1.78 (16x9) aspect ratio. It looked and sounded very good.
Ice Age DVD 2008-02-22
Not necessarily the best of the Ice Age movies, but a decent sequal. Funny and serious momments. Good theme.
Made a long plane ride fun! 2008-07-06
On a long 17 hour plane ride to Rome this was one of the available in flight movies. I had not seen Ice Age 1, but I watched all of the available films because I had plenty of time! I enjoyed this film so much, when I got home I bought the first one immediately! The characters are fantastic and the actors they chose to voice this film are simply amazing! What a perfect cast! I really enjoyed this story. I had no idea how this gang of animals came together (you learn that in part 1) but I really enjoyed them, they are so different and make hodge podge of a family that is just a joy to watch. The little guy who chases the acorn is hilarious and a nice break. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Ice Age 2008-06-18
I love, love, love this movie. I laughed so hard the first time I watched it. John Leguizamo is so funny as the voice of Syd the Sloth. Ray Ramono was great as the voice of Manny. Great kid movie, or for the whole family.
Great graphics, very nice resolution. Shows Blu-Ray well. 2008-06-09
Contrary to the first Ice Age, this version has much improved Computer Graphics capabilities, and you can see the details in the hairs, feathers, and even teh forests, lakes and glaciers. It is a great showdown for BluRay capabilities, and it's a world of difference from the standard res DVD.
Worth the extra cost. My son was glued to the screen the moment I put it on. Although he's only 4 1/2 he did notice something was very different with this movie. Also the 5.1 recording and mixing is very well done.
Good, not Great 2008-04-28
While I still want to see the first Ice Age, having seen the second one first, I must say I am not so impressed with what the media and friends have said. Don't get me wrong, this was surely an enjoyable movie, however it simply did not meet my expectations.
The whole film is a retreat from melting ice. Since the characters live in a sort-of-bowl, they have to escape from it to survive an inevitable rush of water. Their journey is to a boat made from what appears to be a giant tree. I have to admit, as I look back at this film a few days after having seen it, I must say that the general plotline is not so exciting. However, the interesting characters met along the way are delightful and bring this movie some life. This is not to say that the main characters were lifeless. In fact, they all had unique and interesting personalites.
I guess after seeing "Flushed Away" I just have a gneral feeling that "Ice Age: The Meltdown" was good, but not as good as "Flushed Away".
love it, great movie 2008-04-06
Good for all ages, funny and great animation, the kids like and the adults do too!
