Ice Age [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Ice Age is a wonderfully produced film suitable for all the family. Set long ago (20,000 years, to be precise), it tells the story of a long-toothed squirrel named Scrat, who is trying to crack open an acorn, and his efforts and results continue throughout the 77 minutes running time. All the creatures of that era are trying to escape the new Ice Age, but the three main characters go in the opposite direction. They are Manny, a mammoth, who gets emotional when he sees some cave paintings, Sid, a rather silly sloth with expressive eyes, who has been left behind by his family, and Diego, a sabre-toothed tiger with an eye on an easy meal. They find a lost baby, and the film shows how they try to get him back to his family. Set against a backdrop of snow and ice, the storyline is good, and the pace is kept up the whole time. There is a fantastic sequence when they take an unexpected trip on the equivalent of a glacial roller coaster! We encounter friendship, loyalty, daring, treachery, humour and there is a definite feel-good factor when it's all over. The quality of the graphics is superb, and the characters definitely come to life before your eyes. This DVD includes Scrat's new adventure, "Gone Nutty", and many other extras. This disc is well-worth adding to your collection, and will be watched over and over again. --Charmaine Brown

This is a DVD with a U rating, making it suitable for the whole family. The film is animated, and the DVD format comes with the added extras that all these packages seem to come with now. The main characters are a Sid the Sloth, Manfred the Mammoth and a sabre-toothed tiger named Diego... a very unlikely trio. The film is set back during the Ice Age, where the three main characters come together to brave the elements and return a baby to his father. The baby had been separated from his family after an attack by the sabre-toothed tigers, so while Diego is seen as a hero, he was actually the cause of the problem in the first place. The animation is brilliant, and the voices match the characters perfectly. The film is maybe not as slick as some of the recent Disney animations, but it's definitely up there alongside Shrek and Monsters, Inc.. The favourite character has to be the squirrel that keeps popping up all through the film with his acorn. This was a great film, enjoyed by a group of children whose ages were between three and 13. So definitely one for the Christmas stocking. --Jane Tari

This Disney animation is a tale of good triumphing over evil, of friendship and success. A cast of mismatched characters' quest is to return a baby human to his herd. The ethical question of him growing up to kill them arises, but the instinctive urge to protect the young rises to the surface, or does it? You have to watch to find out. Watch out for those special moments, evolution in the ice, the spaceship in the ice and the little boy's reaction. The characters are extremely complex with all the facets required for a good characterisation. On the DVD version the special features are as always good fun, with behind-the-scenes tales as well as a few extra short animations. This is for anyone, from the age of six to 60. The animation is wonderful and the animals are lifelike and have qualities that make them lovable. The humans are rugged but in this story thit is they who are really the baddies. The scenery is beautiful, and quite takes your breath away. All in all, very good viewing. --Lucinda Austin

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