Sid (John Leguizamo) accidentally destroys Manny’s (Ray Romano) beloved Christmas rock, an act he believes will land him a permanent spot on Santa’s naughty list. So he, Peaches (Ciara Bravo), Crash (Seann William Scott), and Eddie (Josh Peck) set out for the North Pole, hoping to convince Santa (Billy Gardell) that no harm was intended; Manny, Ellie (Queen Latifah) and Diego (Denis Leary), believing their loved ones to be in danger, set off after them.

CRITIQUE

Here’s the long and the short (no pun intended) of it: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special runs only twenty-five minutes (twenty-two if you don’t count the credits). It was created as a TV special (it first aired less than a week before this disc hit shelves), hence both the running time and its decidedly slight nature. The asking price for this combo pack is less than ten bucks at most retailers, and there are plenty of kids who’ll be expecting mommy and/or daddy to fork over the cash. So I suppose anything you’ll read here is pretty meaningless.

But here’s what you’re in for: While the features have attempted to appeal to all age groups, this special sets its sights almost squarely on the small fry (and it’s sure to keep them entertained); both the humor and plotting are geared toward kids who have yet to reach double-digits in age. There’s not really much of a story here; what little plot there is serves as nothing more than an excuse to stage a gag every couple of minutes. Some of these gags are funny (how is it that jokes about yellow snow never get old?), some will appeal only to kids who laugh at anything or laugh because someone else is laughing (Sid single-handedly invents the Christmas tree, a tradition Manny says will never catch on). And the whole thing doesn’t make a whole lot of sense; I don’t think Joseph Campbell could make heads or tails of the Santa mythology introduced here.

But here’s the thing: I actually enjoyed this more than I did either of the sequels in the film franchise. I’m still convinced the original is the best CG-animated feature not created by the people at Pixar (which is perhaps an unfair comparison, but what other comparison can you make?), but I didn’t much care for the first sequel and seriously considered walking out of the second long before it was over. They seem to rely more on the talents of the cast and leftover good feelings from the original than anything they themselves have to offer. The same sort of thing comes into play here, but it’s easier to take twenty-five minutes of it than it is seventy-five. (And those twenty-five minutes absolutely fly by, in the end feeling more like ten or fifteen.)

And it doesn’t hurt that the focus here is largely on Sid, who’s still my favorite character. Part of my problem with the first sequel was the introduction of Latifah’s character and those two little possums she’d adopted. For me this didn’t help freshen up the story inasmuch as it took focus off the dysfunctional trio introduced in the original (and eventually softened up both Manny and Diego to the point where they’re almost unrecognizable). Sid is still unabashedly Sid, and that’s still funny. And so is Scrat, whose perpetually fruitless quest for an acorn serves as bookends for this tale.

I assumed the quality of the animation would exceed that of standard TV fare, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is here. It’s not quite up to the level of the most recent feature, but I think it’s better than the first two movies. I was pretty much stunned by the visuals, so much so that had I not cared at all for what was happening, I still would have been perfectly happy just watching it happen.

It is what it is, but it’s better than it had to do be and certainly better than I was expecting it to be. It’s slight, but try telling that to its target audience. And you probably won’t mind too much if you have to sit through it with members of said audience. Well, at least not the first few times, anyway.

THE VIDEO

The 1.78:1/1080p transfer--encoded with AVC onto a 25GB disc--is fantastic, although not quite perfect. But its flaws are due more to deficiencies in the source than any problems with encoding. To be completely specific, it’s a single flaw, and that’s color banding. Because the final act takes place at the North Pole, the skies have been rendered to reflect the effects of the aurora borealis, and there’s some noticeable banding in the color gradations. Other than that, though, this is a knockout presentation, bright, colorful, and unbelievably sharp. Detail is often stunning. There are shots here so clear and deep they border on three-dimensional.

THE AUDIO

Lossless audio is presented in the form of a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The presentation is a little punchier than you generally get from something created for television, and there’s a good spread across the front channels, but it’s still clear the mix was created with a television viewing in mind, as the back half of the soundstage is seriously underutilized. You get sequences here that involve avalanches and miles of cracking ice (such sequences are trademarks of this series), and the sound in each comes to a dead stop the moment it reaches the center of the listening space. It’s not completely surprising, but it’s still somewhat disappointing (and doesn’t really complement the outstanding visual presentation).

French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included; English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available.

THE EXTRAS

The extras, which are presented in high-def, are rather skimpy. There’s a two-minute sneak peek of Ice Age: Continental Drift (it’s a clip from a scene featuring Wanda Sykes as the voice of Sid’s grandmother), the latest entry in the theatrical series, which is due to hit theaters in July. There’s also a music video for “Swingin’ Jingle Bells,” which is really just recycled footage from the special set to an annoying song.

Disc Two of this 3-disc set is a DVD copy (which includes both the feature and the extras); the third disc is a digital copy.

FINAL THOUGHTS