Ice Age: The Meltdown

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Ice Age: The Meltdown blithely looks on the bright side of life, amassing a screen full of vultures to sing and dance ''Food Glorious Food'' and daring us not to get happy.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

So many movies these days are being linked, often quite tenuously, to current politics. Let this new film be no exception. I am happy to say that Ice Age: The Meltdown points up for toddlers the dangers of global warming.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Should warm viewers' hearts globally.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The mediocre original, hampered by a saccharine plot and unconvincing reversals of character, earned lots of money but few plaudits. Now comes Ice Age: The Meltdown, a sequel with more humor, topicality, intelligence and appeal.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

This "Ice Age" is still a good movie (especially for kids) with top-of-the-tech CGI.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

While it lacks the heart and hipness of the similar-themed Pixar odysseys, The Meltdown has the physical humor of slapstick comedy.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

A good-natured, gag-filled sequel.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

The rare sequel that is better than the original.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The series' breakout star remains Scrat (Chris Wedge), a scrawny, speechless rat-squirrel thing trapped in a Sisyphean quest for acorns, and while kids' movies generally could do with fewer scatological gags (the target audience for poo and pee humor needs no encouragement), writers Peter Gaulke and Jim Hecht managed to come up with a (relatively) sophisticated one.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

The movie still retains the goofy charm, stylish visuals and attention to character of its fine 2002 predecessor. Queen Latifah is a warm and plummy new presence as a voluptuous lady mammoth whose only drawback is that she was raised by possums and thinks she's one herself.

The Hollywood Reporter Luke Sader

Raucously fun, fluid follow-up with ecological message.

Miami Herald Peter Debruge

Features the lamest story of any CG-animated feature to date.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

This is a lackluster film that exists exclusively because its predecessor made money.

Premiere Jessica Letkemann

The sweet, furry animals are witty and often funny, and while the physical comedy is simple, the main characters ultimately aren't.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The movie is nice to look at, the colors and details are elegant, the animals engaging, the action fast-moving, but I don't think older viewers will like it as much as the kids.

Empire Caroline Westbrook

It's charming enough.

Variety Todd McCarthy

A tad crasser and pushier than its predecessor, Ice Age: The Meltdown is still an entirely serviceable follow-up to the 2002 hit that will thoroughly amuse kids and get a rise or two out of parents as well.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

If you're over the age of 11, there's obviously not much reason to see this.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

It's more like watching a typical animated-shorts collection - a few highlights, a lot of clinkers - than like watching an actual movie.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Not as cool as the first.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

The animation is uninspired (with so much ice, the creatures need to be twice as good-looking), and the story is humdrum. (The saber-toothed tiger learns to swim!)

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

The animation is first-rate...But the story needs to catch up to the magic. Otherwise, what's the point?

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The film is enjoyable enough, at least for young children.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Improved CGI renders the animals' bodies in greater detail, but the laughs aren't as sharp.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

Less a story than a series of complicated slapstick bits.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter

Essentially a journey from point A to point B, a simple classic plotline on which to hang a collection of set pieces -- some delightful, some wacky, some tediously hackneyed.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Ice Age: The Meltdown is pure sequel product that should make children and undemanding grown-ups happy even as it lacks anything resembling storytelling inspiration.

Village Voice Jim Ridley

A romantic subplot about a possum-raised mammoth (Queen Latifah!) tries to put the warm in global warming, but the unappealing character designs, incessant celebrity-voice chatter, and slickly inexpressive 3-D animation thwart any emotional pull.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Much of the original film's geniality – and all of its pro-environment stumping – has gone missing; what we have instead is a watered-down likeness that curiously turns disaster flick in its too-scary third act.