Ice Age: The Meltdown **1/2
Cast (voices): Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifa, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Manny the Mammoth (Romano), Sid the Sloth (Leguizamo), Diego the Sabertooth Tiger (Leary) and Scrat the sabertooth squirrel are back. The ice is melting, and if they do not get to a “boat” at the other end of the valley, their time will be up. As they mount a trek through the valley, Manny is having trouble accepting the fact that he is the last of his kind. At least until they meet Ellie and her two possum “brothers.” Suddenly, there is hope for mammoths, if Manny can only convince her she is not a possum.

“Ice Age 2” recaptures most of the charm of the original, but falls short mostly due to story. Sure, it is good to see these characters again (especially Scrat), but there is not much to the exodus to higher ground is slow at times. Also, this movie will probably be more popular with kids than adults. 20th Century Fox has not quite mastered the Pixar technique that guarantees enjoyment for all ages. Overall, this film is good but mostly forgettable. That being said, I am sure we will be seeing these characters again in a few years. Hopefully the story will be a little more solid the next time around.