The Ice Age is an upcoming American computer-animated comedy film. Produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it was developed as a reboot of the Ice Age film franchise. Directed by Chris Wedge and co-directed by Carlos Saldanha from a story by Michael J. Wilson, it features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Kristen Johnston, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Wanda Sykes, Adam DeVine, Keke Palmer, Drake, Josh Gad, Patrick Stewart, Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Lopez and Queen Latifah.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was screened in limited theaters and premiered on Disney+. It received highly positive reviews from critics and audiences; while the voice acting, musical score, animation and sense of fun were praised, its humor, lack of originality, screenplay and character development were criticized.
Plot
Set during the days of the ice age, Manny, a no-nonsense woolly mammoth; Sid, a loudmouthed ground sloth; and Diego, a sardonic saber-tooth tiger, come across a human baby and work together to return it to its tribe. Additionally, Scrat, a speechless "saber-toothed squirrel", is perpetually searching for a place in the ground to bury his acorn. Later, Manny, Sid, and Diego attempt to escape an impending flood, during which Manny finds love with Ellie, a mammoth who had thought was a possum.
Over the months, Sid gets taken by a female Tyrannosaurus after stealing her eggs, leading the rest of the herd to rescue him in a tropical lost world inhabited by dinosaurs beneath the ice. From a crack-up, Scrat's accident sends Manny, Sid, and Diego adrift on an iceberg with Sid's Granny and causes them to face a gang of pirates led by Captain Gutt. Later, Scrat accidentally launches several deadly meteors to Earth during an attempt to bury his acorn, and Manny, the Herd, and Buck must go on a life-or-death mission to find a way to fend them off.
Cast
- Ray Romano as Manny, the woolly mammoth. He is the leader of the Herd, Ellie's husband, and the father of Peaches.
- John Leguizamo as Sid, the giant ground sloth. He is the founder of the Herd and best friend to Manny and Diego.
- Denis Leary as Diego, the Smilodon. He is a former member of Soto's pack and currently a member of the Herd.
- Kristen Johnston as Sylvia
A female giant ground sloth that seeks commitment with Sid. - Simon Pegg as Buck
A one-eyed weasel and a dinosaur hunter. - Seann William Scott as Crash
A possum who is one of Ellie's adoptive brothers. - Josh Peck as Eddie
Crash's twin and Ellie's other adoptive brother. - Wanda Sykes as Granny
An aging ground sloth and Sid's grandmother. - Adam DeVine as Julian
A young male woolly mammoth and Peaches' fiancee. - Keke Palmer as Peaches
A young female woolly mammoth, who is Manny and Ellie's daughter. - Drake as Ethan
A mammoth that Peaches has a crush on. - Josh Gad as Louis
A molehog and Peaches' best friend. - Patrick Stewart as Ariscratle
A saber-toothed squirrel from Scratlantis. - Peter Dinklage as Captain Gutt
A Gigantopithecus. - Jennifer Lopez as Shira
A female saber-toothed tiger, the former second-in-command of Captain Gutt, and love interest of Diego. - Queen Latifah as Ellie
The woolly mammoth, who is under the delusion that she is a possum, the "sister" of Crash and Eddie, and the mother of Peaches.
Numerous actors from Ice Age reprise their roles, including Jay Leno as Fast Tony, Goran Višnjić as Soto, Jack Black as Zeke, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Shangri Llama, Jessie J as Brooke, Nick Frost as Flynn, Will Arnett as Lone Gunslinger Vulture, Nicki Minaj as Steffie, Nick Offerman as Gavin, Stephanie Beatriz as Gertie, Max Greenfield as Roger, Diedrich Bader as Oscar, Kunal Nayyar as Gupta, Rebel Wilson as Raz, Alain Chabat as Silas, Joy Behar as Eunice, Eddie "Piolín" Sotelo as Uncle Fungus, Ben Gleib as Marshall, Melissa Rauch as Francine, Michael Strahan as Teddy, Lilly Singh as Bubbles and Misty, Cedric the Entertainer as Carl, Stephen Root as Frank, Jane Krakowski as Rachel, Lorri Bagley as Jennifer, Tom Fahn as Stu, and Heather Morris as Katie.
Additionally, directors Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha provide the voices of Scrat, a Cronopio, and the dinosaur babies. Storyboard artist Karen Disher voices Scratte, Scrat's ex-love interest. Neil deGrasse Tyson voices Neil deBuck Weasel, a weasel-fictionalized version of himself. Seth Green voices Squint from The Great Egg-Scapade, replacing Aziz Ansari from Continental Drift. Alan Tudyk portrays two characters: Lenny, a Homotherium, and Cholly, the chalicothere. Bill Hader, Jane Lynch, Joey King and Kristen Wiig voice a gazelle, a Diatryma, and pudgy beavers, neighbors of Sid, respectively. Clea Lewis cameos as the Female Mini Sloth, and sound designer Randy Thom voices a gazelle that's chased by Shira.
Production
Soundtrack
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval "Certified Fresh" rating of 86% based on 5 reviews and an average rating of 6.74/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Ice Age has moments of charm and witty slapstick for the callback on unused sources of fun." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 61 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average rare grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while filmgoers on comScore's PostTalk gave the film a 95% positive score and a 82% definite recommend, as well as a rare five-star rating.