Spring Break
The Daily Orange"Ice Age" is no "Shrek"
By Craig Gerard
Posted: 3/28/02, 12:52 AM EST Section: Feature
“Ice Age”
Starring (the voices of): Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary
Director: Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha
2 stars (out of 5)
Maybe it isn't fair, but nowadays, it is impossible to watch a digitally animated movie without comparing it to the predecessors. Films such as "Toy Story," "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." were not just marvels of animation - they were marvels in storytelling. The animators took what was traditionally considered kiddie fare, and made it appealing to all ages.
Children loved the stories and the characters, while teen-agers and adults loved the hilarious jokes — family fun descriptors were an understatement.
The latest offering in computer animation is "Ice Age," a decent, but somewhat disappointing venture. The film follows the journey of several cute, furry creatures set thousands of years back.
A wooly mammoth named Manfred (voice of Ray Romano from television's "Everybody Loves Raymond") befriends an annoying, abandoned sloth named Sid (voice of John Leguizamo, "Moulin Rouge"). When they encounter a young human baby, Manfred begrudgingly agrees to help Sid return the child to his distraught father.
Accompanying them on their journey is a shady saber-tooth tiger named Diego (voice of Denis Leary, "The Ref"), whose ulterior motives fuel most of the adventure. His desire to please his pack of evil counterparts leads him down a path of wickedness.
Inevitably, as the journey continues, the three unlikely partners bond. Their interactions with each other, and more importantly the human baby, are fairly humorous. However, the characters never really connect with the audience the way Woody and Buzz Lightyear did.
Some of the movie's animation is truly spectacular. The characters seem alive and real and the landscape is simply mind-blowing. Attention to detail was foremost on the animator's minds.
The problem lies within the formulaic story. It is predictable and suspiciously similar to "Shrek." The writers must have spent hours parked in front of the tube watching a certain ugly ogre and his obnoxious sidekick.
Starring (the voices of): Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary
Director: Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha
2 stars (out of 5)
Maybe it isn't fair, but nowadays, it is impossible to watch a digitally animated movie without comparing it to the predecessors. Films such as "Toy Story," "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." were not just marvels of animation - they were marvels in storytelling. The animators took what was traditionally considered kiddie fare, and made it appealing to all ages.
Children loved the stories and the characters, while teen-agers and adults loved the hilarious jokes — family fun descriptors were an understatement.
The latest offering in computer animation is "Ice Age," a decent, but somewhat disappointing venture. The film follows the journey of several cute, furry creatures set thousands of years back.
A wooly mammoth named Manfred (voice of Ray Romano from television's "Everybody Loves Raymond") befriends an annoying, abandoned sloth named Sid (voice of John Leguizamo, "Moulin Rouge"). When they encounter a young human baby, Manfred begrudgingly agrees to help Sid return the child to his distraught father.
Accompanying them on their journey is a shady saber-tooth tiger named Diego (voice of Denis Leary, "The Ref"), whose ulterior motives fuel most of the adventure. His desire to please his pack of evil counterparts leads him down a path of wickedness.
Inevitably, as the journey continues, the three unlikely partners bond. Their interactions with each other, and more importantly the human baby, are fairly humorous. However, the characters never really connect with the audience the way Woody and Buzz Lightyear did.
Some of the movie's animation is truly spectacular. The characters seem alive and real and the landscape is simply mind-blowing. Attention to detail was foremost on the animator's minds.
The problem lies within the formulaic story. It is predictable and suspiciously similar to "Shrek." The writers must have spent hours parked in front of the tube watching a certain ugly ogre and his obnoxious sidekick.
