Ice Age: The Meltdown

This animated film doesn't compare to The Incredibles nor Finding Nemo | Andrew Coffin

One has to assume that the hugely successful, nearly $70 million opening of Ice Age: The Meltdown is the result of some fortuitous timing, lack of competition at the box office, and, well, the film being a sequel.

Otherwise, the film doesn't deserve to be in the same league with The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, the only other animated features to open to such strong numbers. Ice Age: The Meltdown (rated PG for some mild language and innuendo) is modestly entertaining and will probably delight many children, but its limp storyline and dependence on mildly crass humor and Looney Tunes--style physical comedy make it a parental disappointment.

Like Ice Age, the sequel focuses on three friends who've formed their own multi-species herd—Manny the mammoth (Ray Romano), Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary), and Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo). When the climate begins to warm and the ice begins to melt, Manny, Diego, and Sid join an exodus of animals from their valley, fearing a massive flood.