Ice Age – The Meltdown (aka Ice Age 2)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C+ Feature: C+
Ice Age (reviewed elsewhere on this site)
was such a hit in 2002, the inevitable sequel was going to get made and four
years later, Ice Age – The Meltdown
(aka Ice Age 2) arrived and was a
big a hit at the box office. As with the
first release, it is a feature that has the advantage of silent moments that
communicate comedy in the best tradition of animation that is more than just
animated radio like so many bad productions.
This time, the arctic group of animals must deal with global warming,
which sends them on a new adventure.
Running
90 minutes (versus the shorter 81 minutes of the first release), the end result
is slightly fuller than the first and the animation has not changed too much,
but the end result is the same commercially safe comedy with more than the
average visual gags that make this franchise appeal to children and animation
fans alike. Not bad.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is a little softer than expected, but this
is more due to the style again this time than just the transfer. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not bad this
time versus my issues with the previous film on DVD. Again, too bad this is not in DTS, but the
sound is still good. The combination is
more like what I expected from the first release on DVD.
Extras
are decent too, including an all–new short called No Time for Nuts, All–New Crash & Eddie Stunts - 3 Short Shorts,
Crash and Eddie Blooper, Commentaries by Director Carlos Saldanha, Producer Lori
Forte & the Production Team, The Animation Director's Chair - Storyboard,
Animation, Final for "Play Dead,"
"Fish Story," "Nuts," "Family," "Face Off"
& "Drain", intro into
new characters - "Meet Ellie"
and "Meet Crash and Eddie",
Lost “Historical” Films on the Ice
Age Period: The Sloth "Nature's
Lovable Lisper," The Wooly Mammoth "Nature's Beast of Burden," The Saber-Tooth Squirrel "Nature's Nutty Buddy," The
Saber-Tooth Tiger, "Nature's
Fearsome Feline," The Vulture "Nature's Cleaners," The Possum "Nature's Spunky Spectacles”, Sloth Dancing to Sid's Sing-a-Long, Set
Top Games - Factoid Meltdown, Scrat's Piranha Smackdown, Sid Soccer Game,
Personality Match Game, Vivendi Universal Game Memory Challenge and Silly Sid
& John Leguizamo: A Featurette.
That’s a
good set of extras that will keep fans, especially the youngest ones,
busy. As for the playback, I wonder how
this will play on Blu-ray?
- Nicholas Sheffo
