Common Sense Media Review
Clever, funny, touching; like a great road movie.
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Ice Age
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 39 parent reviews
Parents say that while the movie features enjoyable characters and humorous moments, it also contains inappropriate jokes, violent scenes, and negative interactions that can be concerning for young children. Many reviews note that despite the film's comedic elements, the mixed messages about respect and the presence of mature themes detract from its suitability for family viewing.
- mixed messages
- inappropriate humor
- violent scenes
- family entertainment
- audience suitability
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 59 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is a hilarious and engaging family film that features memorable characters, especially the amusing Sid the Sloth and the adventurous trio of Manny, Diego, and Sid working together to return a baby to its family. Despite some scary and intense scenes, many reviews highlight the movie's positive messages about friendship, loyalty, and teamwork, making it an enjoyable experience for children and adults alike.
- funny moments
- strong characters
- family-friendly
- positive messages
- suitable for kids
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
ICE AGE is a clever, funny, and touching story of an unlikely trio of animals who band together to return a human baby to his family. The story is set when glaciers covered much of the earth, 20,000 years ago. As all of the other animals migrate south in search of food, three characters are moving in the opposite direction. They are a wooly mammoth named Manny (voice of Ray Romano), a sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo), and a saber tooth tiger named Diego (Denis Leary). In classic road movie fashion, they don't like or trust each other very much at the beginning and the journey becomes a psychological one as they share experiences and confidences that make them see each other and themselves very differently.
Is It Any Good?
This movie is a solid choice for kids old enough to handle the cartoonish violence. It doesn't reach the level of Shrek for wit, there is no romance to keep the grown-ups happy, and the plot has no surprises. But it's told with terrific energy, imagination, visual invention, and humor and it moves along very quickly. Interestingly, the three lead voices are provided by performers who began as stand-up comics rather than actors. Their voices are edgy and distinctive, perfectly matched with their characters.
The computer animation in Ice Age is truly magnificent, from the majestic ice-covered mountains to the texture of the fur and feathers, the glint of the sun on ice, and soft sparkle of the snowflakes falling at night. The pristine settings convey a sense of vastness and promise that will make grown-up viewers pause to think about whether civilization has been all that civilized. All ages will enjoy the facial expressions, body language and -- I have to say it -- performances of the ice age mammals, so vivid and so true that you may forget that they are pixels, not people.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Manny says about members of a herd being willing to risk their lives for each other in Ice Age. Why was it so important for Manny to return the baby, even though the humans had hunted his herd? How did that help to heal some of Manny's sadness?
Why did Diego change his mind about Manny? Why did Manny change his mind about Sid? Was it because of something Sid did or because of something Manny learned about himself, or both?
What is different about the way that Diego and Manny react to human attacks?
How do the characters in Ice Age demonstrate courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 15, 2002
- On DVD or streaming : November 26, 2002
- Cast : Denis Leary , John Leguizamo , Ray Romano
- Director : Chris Wedge
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : peril and mild potty humor
- Last updated : November 6, 2025
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