Now here's an odd little movie. By all accounts, Ice Age: The Meltdown is a textbook example of a soulless sequel that exists only to squeeze out some more cash after the original 2002 film became a surprise hit. There's not much in terms of plot to speak of, the characters haven't changed that much from the last time, and it's really just something for parents to take their kids to on Spring Break. And yet, despite all this, the movie sometimes catches you off guard and actually works. The movie would just be meandering along, not really impressing me, and then suddenly there would be a blast of inspiration that would come out of nowhere and make me laugh. I guess the likeable characters and the group of voice talent providing their personalities helped too. What I'm about to say may not sound like the most glowing of praise, but if there has to be a cash-in sequel to Ice Age, we at least have one that manages to be watchable.

As we rejoin our three heroes from the last film, we find their world is in peril. Manny the woolly mammoth (voice by Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the sabertooth tiger (Dennis Leary) discover early on that the ice that covers the ground is rapidly melting, and in only a few days time, their home will become flooded. The ravenous vultures circling in the sky is a sign that they do not have much time, and they must set out for higher ground if they even want a chance at survival. During the journey, as they watch the various animal herds making their way to safety, Manny begins to realize that there are no other mammoths around, and begins to wonder if he is the last of his kind. Fortunately, he comes across a sweet-natured female mammoth named Ellie (Queen Latifah) during his travels. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe she's a mammoth, as she was raised by possums, and prefers the company of her pair of fast-talking possum "brothers" - Crash and Eddie (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck). As this unusual group makes their way to safety, they will each have to conquer their individual fears if they want to avoid extinction.

When you stop and think about it, the Ice Age films are actually kind of depressing and heavy stuff for kids. Death, extinction, and the end of the world are three themes that are referenced numerous times throughout the film. Somehow, the filmmakers know how to deal with these tricky topics in a way that will not frighten children, yet at the same time does not downplay the relative seriousness of it. The sometimes juvenile and crude toilet humor is a bit more questionable (A dung beatle is seen rolling a ball of dung along, and complains "why do I have to put up with this crap"?), but it's no worse than some other PG-rated comedies aimed at kids. Where I begin to question the motives of director Carlos Saldanha (Blue Sky Studios' last film, Robots) and his staff is in the plotting. There really is no story to speak of in this sequel, other than the characters are trying to get from Point A to Point B, and have some misadventures along the way. The movie has a fragmented tone as it hops from one sequence to the next. There is also no real villain or threat to our heroes, except for a pair of carnivorous sea creatures who pop up whenever the screenplay calls for an action sequence. I guess you could argue that the Earth itself is the threat, and the impending flood that seems to have sealed all the animals' fate. But still, all great animated films need a memorable villain, and Ice Age: The Meltdown has none.

Perhaps the most telling sign of the movie's desperation to fill time with its thin plot is how it constantly stops the story completely, and fills us in on the continuing adventures of Scrat (voice by Chris Wedge), the hard-luck prehistoric squirrel who has an obsessive passion for acorns, and a knack for practically getting himself killed in the process of obtaining said passion. The filmmakers obviously know that Scrat was a huge hit in the last film, so they've decided to make his part bigger this time around. Unfortunately, they couldn't figure out how to fit him into the movie, so instead of working him into the plot, they drop everything, and cut to a two or three minute-long slapstick sequence with Scrat. Although these scenes are entertaining for the most part, they all but scream desperation. These sequences play out almost like short Chuck Jones sketches, and while there's nothing wrong with that in theory, I rolled my eyes the fifth time the movie stopped the plot to give us more Scrat antics. As funny as the character can be, he really has no place in this movie.

Having read this far, you're probably wondering how I could find enjoyment out of a movie like this. That's because for all of its mediocrities, every once in a while, the movie hits upon a clever idea that creates genuine laughter. Anyone who does not laugh at the sight of a fully grown woolly mammoth hanging by its tail upside down from a tree in a vain attempt to prove it's a possum has lost their sense of the absurd. There is also a brilliant sequence where a group of hungry vultures dream of feasting on the certainly-doomed land mammals, and break into a rendition of "Food, Glorious Food" from the musical Oliver, the lyrics completely rewritten to fit the mind set of meat scavengers. I also got quite a bit of enjoyment out of the primitive tribal sloths who mistake Sid for their "Fire God", and wish more had been done with them. Like I said, these moments just come out of left field and take you by surprise. Even when the script itself is less than engaging, adult animation fans in the audience can at least expect to be entertained by the beautiful look of the film. There are some amazingly well done sequences in the film, such as the climactic flood scene. The colors are vibrant, the characters are well animated, and the entire movie just has a very pleasant look to it.

Above all else, what keeps Ice Age: The Meltdown afloat are the performances. The returning three stars (Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Leary) fit right back into their roles almost instantly, and the great chemistry they have together makes a comeback. Romano is a good straight man, Leary makes a fitting sarcastic loner, and Leguizamo is surprisingly likeable in a role that could have easily become annoying as the goofy Sid. The film knows how to make the most out of the three characters and their individual struggles, and the actors know how to work well together. The new additions to the cast are a mixed bag. I wasn't too fond of Seann William Scott and teen actor Josh Peck as the possums, but Queen Latifah surprised me as Ellie. She drops her usual sassy loud mouth act that she's used in so many comedies, and actually comes across as sweet and sympathetic in a goofy way. Walking into the movie, I couldn't exactly picture her as a love interest for Ray Romano, but they have good chemistry together and it actually works. Well, at least it works in a cartoon, I don't know how well it'd play off in a live action movie...

As I mentioned when I started this review, this is an odd little movie. It's a soulless cash-in, yet I was entertained, a lot more than I probably should have been. The kids are bound to like it, and if you found enjoyment in the first movie, you'll find something to like here too. Maybe not as much as before, but you won't walk out disappointed. Ice Age: The Meltdown won't give Pixar a run for their money, but it's a heck of a lot better then the sub-par Hoodwinked. If there has to be an Ice Age 3, I wouldn't mind it as long as Blue Sky actually puts some effort into telling a story, a problem that seemed to plague their last effort, Robots. These guys obviously have the talent, they just need a good storyteller to push them up near the top of the animation industry. As it is, while you may not like it as much as your kids will, you at least won't regret having to sit through it.

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