Ice Age

The sentimentality at the end is too much, but I still give it four stars, especially for the brilliant scene with the flock of dodos and the squirrel sketch. If you want to enjoy the squirrel more, check out the Gone Nutty DVD bonus with it, it's better than the whole movie put together. (18.05.2003)

Mein Lieblingscartoon, der es, ich weiß nicht wie, immer schafft, mich zu fesseln. Dieses seltsame Trio prähistorischer Kreaturen, begleitet von einem niedlichen kleinen Kerl, hat eine so seltsame Poesie, einen Humor, eine Freundlichkeit und eine Spannung, die oft unglaublich gut für eine Animation funktioniert - zum Beispiel Mannys wortlose Erinnerung in der Eishöhle... Das Augenspiel dieser computergenerierten Kreaturen ist tadellos, und man lernt sie zu lieben. So sehr, dass man ihnen sogar die dünne Handlung verzeiht, die durch hervorragende (aber eben nur) Abschweifungen aufgebaut wird. Von der tragischen Figur des Eichhörnchens Scrat zu sprechen, ist wohl überflüssig, denn selbst der alterslose und wandernde Ahasverus würde an dieser Stelle eine Träne vergießen. (26.12.2006)

“Well, that’s the ice age for you..." Dr. Emmet Brown might have said. But he would have been surprised what fun they had back then. Primeval squirrel Scratch and its bonus adventure on DVD are so timeless, cult and the best thing I ever saw of classic animated slapstick gets a clear five stars. Unfortunately the main feature is simply rather bland family average. (29.03.2005)

Very nice. A pleasant little watch, I might say :). For the time it was made, the animation is more than decent and considering it’s “just" a movie for kids the story is very good and has some really strong moments. The prehistoric critters are all amazing, starting with the piggies, ending with Scrat and in fact you’ll end up loving them all. The main trio is excellently chosen and give us great entertainment the whole journey to find the mute representatives of our species. And the little squirt was just adorable. In short, I would happily watch Ice Age again anytime. (26.12.2006)

The first Ice Age is perhaps the finest family film in the franchise and has a beautifully moving story that, alongside the central quest to find a bunch of people who need to return their stinky cub, offers a perfect introduction to universally wonderful characters and their different life attitudes, while the short runtime fits it like a glove and will not bore either a four-year-old or a caring septuagenarian grandmother. But for this glorious animated film to attack the top rungs of the genre, it would have to apply less downright childish humour (although some of the adult jokes are brilliant - "Modern architecture. It'll never last."), and a little less self-importance and sentimentality, which somewhat clashes with the film's biggest highlight, a crazy squirrel trying to find the best place to stick his acorn. From my point of view, the more daring third one wins, which is much more packed and more interesting story-wise... 85% (18.04.2011)

Today, basically a classic fairytale of modern animation. Excellent characters, on which a quite ordinary story stands about how a group of animals tries to save a human child. A lot of help is also provided by the squirrel, which has become an independent brand of the film and has been given more space in the following sequels. I think that once you see this film, you will remember the characters - it will leave some impression on you. (28.12.2013)