Ice Age (2008)

Another re-release for "Ice Age" (this is the third counting the single disc edition of the film) to coincide with the sequel, this edition essentially is the previous two disc edition with some minor features added that don't make it any more worthwhile to pick up. The DVD ROM printables and "Scrat's Frozen Facts" appear to be the newest features on this set. Most of the featurettes are recycled from the previous edition.

No issue with the transfer per se since it is a digital cartoon this edition appears to be from the same source as the previous edition. Should you upgrade? Not if you have the previous two disc edition but if you have the single disc edition and you want the extras, this is the way to go. Sound is crystal clear with nice use of 5.1 effects.

The DVD ROM printables and "Scrat's Frozen Fun Facts" an interactive feature that can be accessed during the film appear to be the newest features on this set. The latter has behind-the-scenes clips you the film in various stages of production while also including comments from experts on natural history discussing the what scientist believe the world was like then. Most of the featurettes are recycled from the previous edition. Otherwise the commentary tracks, deleted scenes and just about everything else is imported from the previous two disc edition of the film. There's also theater money that can be presented for "Ice Age 2".

If you purchased the previous two disc set of this movie, I'd take a pass on this one. There's no improvement in this edition vs. the earlier two disc set in my mind.

Here's why:

First, a great character driven story with a positive message. The heroes in this story don't start out as heroes at all. Sid is an annoying and rather pathetic sloth who is left behind when all his friends migrate. Manfred is a mammoth with "issues" who at the beginning is walking the wrong way for some reason. Why? Does the scene with the moving cave drawings explain this? Was his wife and offspring killed, and was he walking the wrong way to end his own life? Diego the sabertooth tiger is an order following killer on a mission.

Each of these characters grow beyond themselves to save a human baby. Sid assumes responsiblity and develops courage. Diego learns to think for himself and do the right thing. Manfred overcomes his grief and self-centerdness and endures all kinds of trials to save a baby who may grow up to be a hunter of mammoths. This is a story how anyone, regardless of how non-heroic they may be, can rise above themselves and do what is right when they have to.

Second, this DVD lets you watch the movie five different ways: Widescreen, Fullscreen, "Nutty Movie" mode where you can watch the deleted scenes as if they'd been spliced back into the movie, commentary mode, and "extreme cool" mode where you watch the movie in a window while documentary material plays in another window. How cool is that?

Third, the deleted scenes are actually very interesting. They have their own commentary too. Sylvia is a great character (a sloth girlfriend of Sid's) who was going to be in the movie but was cut out and replaced. The commentary tells why.

Fourth, the two shorts are great. Gone Nutty is more of Scrat chasing acorns, and Bunny is a brilliant short about an elderly female rabbit's last minutes of this life and the transition to the next.

And there's a lot more. It make take until the next ice age for me to get through all the stuff on this DVD!

Buy Ice Age (2008) Now

I got indignant when one of my favorite reviewers panned this film and decided to rise to its defense. Not only does this film work brilliantly as an allegory about bridging ethnic and cultural divides, but it is by turns hilarious and deeply touching. The story follows a group of migrating prehistoric mammals (a saber-toothed tiger which is a predator; and a sloth and woolly mammoth, which are prey species) who find a lost human infant and ultimately make the difficult and dangerous decision to reunite it with its human tribe. The personalities of all three are well developed, and their nonstop bickering is a riot. Naturally, there are many internal divisions, and the saber-toothed tiger is secretly plotting to ambush the group, but in the end the shared experience of bonding with the infant unites them. There is a highly entertaining scene where the group travels through an ice cave in which is embedded hilarious references to other life forms including extraterrestrials. There is a very touching scene in which the mammoth contemplates human pictographs of hunters killing a family of mammoths with spears, only to be comforted by the human infant in his care. The animation, especially the facial expressions for the animals, and of course the ill-fated squirrel whose attempts to gather and store nuts form a cruelly funny sub-theme, is incredibly clever. The film is just brimming with sly humor, tenderness, and witty sight-gags; I've probably seen it five times and haven't gotten bored yet.

Read Best Reviews of Ice Age (2008) Here

Get ready to "chill-out" with the fun-filled 2002 animated family hit "Ice Age". During the great migration, a moody mammoth (Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond"), a dim-witted sloth (John Leguizamo, "Moulin Rouge") and a devilish sabre-toothed tiger (Denis Leary, "Rescue Me") become the unlikely guardians of a lost human child. Together, they will embark on a journey across icy glaciers and countless dangers to return the child to his tribe. Created by Blue Sky Studios, "Ice Age" is a remarkably entertaining family spectacle that ranks as one of the highest grossing films of 2002. The story is fast-paced, heartfelt and very funny. The computer-animated feature film contains some hilarious moments and memorable characters. The CGI animation is stunning with impressive landscapes. Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo deliver some fine comic performances. "Ice Age" also features the voice talents of Cedric the Entertainer, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk and Jack Black.

"Ice Age" Special Edition succeeds any previous Fox DVD. The animated smash hit is presented in both full screen and widescreen formats. The DVD contains a flawless picture quality with excellent sharpness and rich color detail. Its Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is very engaging and well balanced. The interactive DVD menus are pretty nice. This 2-Disc DVD contains a wide range of supplemental material including a comprehensive audio commentary with directors Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge, six deleted scenes, several behind-the-scene featurettes (The Making of "Ice Age" & Under the Ice), theatrical trailers and the new animated short "Scrat's Missing Adventure". With its excellent presentation and great supplements, "Ice Age" Special Edition gets a definite "A-".

Want Ice Age (2008) Discount?

If you are reading this review, you are probably wondering, "Should I invest good movie into purchasing this movie on blu-ray?"

This movie is considerably older than many blu-ray releases, and it is not quite as sharp as its sequel "Meltdown", however, that said, this is an excellent release and well worth owning if you like animated family friendly blu-ray movies. The picture is very clear with very little grain, the picture is sharp, and the sound is crisp. The age of the film does show though the fur on the mammoth isn't quite as sharp, and there is a little bit of noticeable grain, but all things considered, they did a great job with the transfer. Like "Meltdown" there are no bars above or below the screen on a widescreen television. We viewed the movie on a 37" 1080p LCD flatpanel TV with a PS3, 60GB blu-ray player, connected by a HDMI cable. Sound is 5.1 digital.

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