Carlos Saldanha’s animated sequel has enough good slapstick to keep children amused, but its scattered story makes the quieter stretches feel like waiting. Scrat remains the chief attraction; the talking animals have less to say.
Carlos Saldanha’s Ice Age: The Meltdown is a serviceable family comedy with a squirrel who keeps threatening to make the rest of the cast unnecessary. We would consider it for children who enjoy animal slapstick, with modest expectations for the accompanying adults. There is pleasure in the voices and in the animation’s cheerful energy. The trouble is how little the story does to carry us from one joke to the next. Even at 91 minutes, the stretches between Scrat’s appearances can feel longer than they should.
Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary give Manny, Sid and Diego an easy familiarity, though the dialogue does not always repay their efforts. John Leguizamo is particularly useful: his delivery can keep Sid amusing when the writing has little new for him. The group sounds comfortable together, which is a real advantage in a film built around banter. Their exchanges remain amiable even when there is no particularly good joke to deliver.
Queen Latifah gives Ellie some welcome personality, and the role offers her more to work with than another round of familiar squabbling. Her contribution helps broaden the comedy without making the film feel crowded. Gerry Swallow, Peter Gaulke and Jim Hecht’s screenplay is less successful at connecting its episodes. We can enjoy a character’s company for a scene and still struggle to care where the group is going.
Scrat, voiced by Chris Wedge, benefits from wanting something we can understand immediately: an acorn. We laughed at the disproportionate effort he puts into getting it, and at how each physical setback leaves the same small ambition intact. Those interludes give the animators something definite to work towards, with movement carrying the joke. They also provide a welcome change from the ensemble’s conversations, allowing the physical comedy time to develop without further explanation.
The animation is bright and appealing, with Craig Anthony Grasso’s cinematography keeping the physical comedy readable. Marcin Jakubowski’s production design gives the animals surroundings that remain attractive even when the narrative stalls. It is easy to enjoy watching these characters move, and the visual energy helps cover some slack writing. Yet the supposed danger rarely feels persuasive enough to make us concerned for the animals, however confidently the action is presented.
Harry Hitner’s editing is more convincing within the individual comic passages than in the film’s broader progression. The succession of episodes keeps offering fresh starts when we want the adventure to gather some momentum. John Powell and Will Edwards’s music helps maintain the bustle, though it cannot make the threat feel more substantial. The film stays busy, but the frequent changes of focus make it difficult to become absorbed in the group’s predicament.
Family animation does not need a complicated plot, but it does need a reason for everyone to be travelling through the same story. This sequel too often lets a workable comic ensemble drift between attractions, leaving Scrat with the clearest purpose. There are enough laughs here for children drawn to slapstick, though adults may find their patience tested between them. Choose it for the physical gags, and do not expect the conversations to improve on them.
