As they head for warmer climes in hopes of escaping the coming Ice Age, a sullen mammoth named Manny (Ray Romano), a duplicitous saber-toothed tiger named Diego (Dennis Leary), and a scatterbrained sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo) attempt to reunite a lost human baby with the other members of his tribe.

CRITIQUE

Some may think it unfair to draw such distinctions, but when it comes to the world of CG animated features, there are really two realms: on one side is Pixar, on the other everybody else. Although several have both delivered quality work and achieved box office suffice, no rival studio has been able to carve out its own niche the way Pixar has.

Blu Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox’s CG house, has been steadily delivering product for the past several years, and to this date all of its output has struck a chord with audiences, but they’re still by no means a household name. But they have, at least in my opinion, created the best non-Pixar CG feature, 2002’s Ice Age, their inaugural effort.

Like all top-tier animated features, Ice Age takes a good story and enhances it with great casting. The uncluttered plot owes more than a little to The Three Godfathers, both the original story and the numerous film adaptations, but the change of locales and the inclusion of anthropomorphic leads breathes new life into the proceedings.

This is really nothing more than three guys trying to make it from Point A to Point B, but the setting provides ample opportunities for the writers and directors to keep the fun flowing. Honestly, how can you not love it when Sid uses the baby to pick up a couple of female sloths who are taking a dip in a pool of hot mud, or when the dodos exhibit why they never stood a chance at longevity?

Also, if you don’t at least chuckle at the antics of Scrat, the manic offspring of what looks to have been an unholy union between a squirrel and a saber-tooth (and whose hyperactive vocals are provided by director Chris Wedge), there’s obviously something wrong with you.

But what really makes the movie work is the voice acting. Romano’s laid-back exasperation is but to great use here, and Leary does what’s he’s been doing do well for the past two decades. As good as they are, though, the movie belongs to Leguizamo, who so nails Sid I almost have to wonder if I’ve been wrong about the actor all these years.

Normally Leguizamo annoys me to no end when he’s trying to be funny (I’d much rather see him in a dramatic role), but his work in this movie entertains me to no end. The shot of Sid that accompanies the arrival of the thunderstorm is a great sight gag, but it wouldn’t work nearly as well if Leguizamo hadn’t already made us somehow like the character.

THE VIDEO

The 1.85:1/1080p transfer, sourced straight from the original digital files, comes maddeningly close to achieving perfection, but one tiny flaw prevents it from being an unqualified success. Colors, from the whites of the ubiquitous ice to the browns, grays, tans and yellows of the characters’ pelts, look fantastic. And speaking of those pelts, the level of detail is so high you can easily distinguish individual hairs on the animals’ hides.

The illusion of depth and three-dimensionality is often staggering. Black levels are perfect. Getting back to the flaws, there’s a short sequence early on (when Manny runs into the mass migration) that’s noticeably darker and less detailed than the rest of the film. Thankfully it’s only a minute or two out of the entire running time, but it’s quite noticeable nonetheless.

THE AUDIO

The DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio isn’t quite on-par with the mixes of more recent CG features, but it still provides a superior listening experience. The soundstage is expansive (Scrat’s encounter with the shifting glaciers kicks things off nicely), dialogue is always clear and intelligible (this track features some of the most natural sounding steered dialogue I’ve ever heard), and the low end rumbles throughout.

The more frenetic sequences, including the flight across the lava flows and (especially) the slide through the ice cavern, are especially pleasing, offering wall-to-wall sonic mayhem and total immersion. Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included. English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Korean subtitles are available.

THE EXTRAS

Ice Age has been released twice on standard-def DVD, first as a 2-disc set in 2002 and again in 2006 (the latter to coincide with the theatrical release of the extremely disappointing Ice Age: The Meltdown). The first release was fairly packed, while the second contained even more bonus material.

In keeping with their head-scratching next-gen policy, Fox has crammed this Blu-ray version onto a single-layer disc, dropping much of the material from the first DVD and including nothing from the reissue. (If you’re thinking a more feature-laden release will arrive when the second sequel hits in 2009, you’re certainly not alone.) Here’s what they did include:  

The commentary by director Chris Wedge and co-director Carlos Saldanha is more than a little dry and boring, with long stretches during which the participants completely clam up. Not much information regarding the ever-evolving story or characters is imparted, nor is there much of the technical talk you generally find in commentaries for CG flicks.  

Six deleted scenes (9 minutes total) are also included; two are presented in animatics form, the rest as fully-rendered (or close to it) sequences. They wouldn’t have added much to the story, but they’re just as funny as anything you’ll find in the finished movie. Wedge and Saldanha provide optional commentary for these scenes.  

Gone Nutty: Scrat’s Missing Adventure (5 minute) is a hilarious animated short featuring another series of mishaps perpetrated by the titular squirrel-thing (the bit about what really happened to Pangaea is classic). Like the movie itself, this is presented in fantastic 1.85:1/1080p.    

Closing out the extras are a teaser and two theatrical trailers.

FINAL THOUGHT

I’m recommending this release based solely on the strengths of the movie and the audio/video presentation, but I can’t blame you if you decide to hold out for a more elaborate edition.