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Ice Age (2002)
What is it about computer animation that audiences find so fascinating? Last year there several animated movies released but the ones that struck the greatest chords with audiences were computer animated. Even Disney's big traditionally animated release for the year, Atlantis, couldn't hold a candle to the box office might of Shrek and Monsters, Inc.
Wisely, Fox's jump into animation is computer animated. Ice Age is set during the last ice age when giant creatures like the wooly mammoth still roamed the land. Humans were still fairly primitive. In that same vein, the movie makes the animals talk and leaves the humans mute. Our heroes are a motley bunch that have come together to return a rescued human baby to it's tribe. There is the mammoth Manfred (Ray Romano), the sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) and the sabretooth tiger Diego (Dennis Leary). Not officially with them, but appearing constantly is the rodent Scrat, who is obsessed with finding a hiding place for it's precious acorn.
This is basically a road trip movie. The group hangs together because of the baby but not for any actual affection for each other. In keeping with movie tradition, they of course pull together and become friends over the course of the movie. What makes the movie work is a slapstick humor that dominates the picture. Sid in particular is a constant source of prat falls and sight gags. There is also a degree of humor from the conflicts between the personalities. It gets off to a good start with a brief sequence (basically the trailer) where we see Scrat causing havoc in an attempt to hide his food. After that the movie slows down for awhile until we meet all the characters. After that it finds it's footing and moves along at brisk pace with good energy for the rest of the film.
Fox has made a solid film but not one you could seriously compare to the likes of Shrek. It lacks that film's visual richness and sophistication of animation. The look of the film is fairly unique. The computer animation lends great realism to the movements of the characters but the design of those characters is very cartoonish. The animals have exagerated features, almost charicatures. This works well in that the cartoon design of the world tricks the mind into not expecting photorealism from the film. That makes up for the difference between live action and animation so that viewers never have to stop and think about how the film was made.
Voice work from the three major actors is very well done. Ray Romano's sitcom is sharply written but few would consider his acting one of the show's strengths. Here though, he adds real life and personality to Manfred. Despite never actually working together, he and Leguizamo's Sid have good chemistry together. Leguizamo is always solid and hre really gives great life to this socially awkward sloth. Dennis Leary's smoking induced gravelly voice is a perfect match for the tiger Diego. He gives him a little extra sense of menace.
Fox isn't quite ready to butt heads with Pixar and PDI in the computer animation arena but Ice Age is an excellent start. I'm pleased to see someone else attempting to bring more diversity of style and material to animation. If this continues, perhaps American audiences might eventually accept animation as something other than children's entertainment.
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