When you hear 'fun for the whole family" you immediately think of the most overused movie quote for an animated film, but ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT actually fits that description. As usual, I sent off the family off to an early Saturday morning screening (I like to sleep in) of the fourth installment of Ice Age and every age group came back raving about it.
In ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT, the continent is breaking apart and Manny, Sid, and Diego become trapped on a moving iceberg that takes them away from their families and into new territories with a cast of new characters including Jennifer Lopez as a sabre tooth tiger (wonder who she’s being paired with?) and pirate monkeys. As the male pack try to find their way home, Manny and Ellie’s daughter Peaches is all grown up and experiencing tween identity crisis.
You would think the premise would tire out once a franchise reaches the fourth film, but ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT delivers the laughs, ah's, and cuteness, according to my 73-year-old mother, sister Patty and her 7-year-old daughter. Without prompting any reaction when I arrived to my parent's home, mom laid out all the things she loved about the movie. "Estaba bonito," she proclaimed which translates into "it was beautiful." She particularly enjoyed the adventures on the high-seas with Manny, Sid, Diego, and the animal menagerie of pirates on a pirate-shaped iceberg. “Really cute” and “cool,” my sister Patricia added about those scenes with the hilarious menagerie of animal buccaneers.
ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT, there are two adventures, a departure from the previous films where it was about the journey of the one group. In the fourth outing, while the male species find out their way back home, the family unit stays behind dealing with the young pups. Before the separation, Manny and his teen daughter Peaches clash. Once Manny and his crew become separated from their clan, Ellie is left in dealing with her rebellious teen who’s in love and clashing with another female for his attention.
Of course, my 7-year-old niece gravitated to Peaches’ story and the rest of the youngling characters. While she may not be a tween yet, she still found the story relatable and occasionally sighed with her usual ‘Ah!’ when she saw the cute little animated animal. More importantly, the usual fidgety school girl was attentive throughout the film, according to her mom.
As a mom, Patty naturally loved the messaging behind the Peaches’ plot about peer pressures and importance of family. But she mostly raved about Wanda Sykes as Sid’s grandmother. Besides being a huge fan of the comedian, her role was the funniest one of the bunch and “loony”, she says. “She was the best part of the movie.”
While most kid-friendly animated films may be torture for adults, ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT seems to be hit with the whole family… well at least with my family at least. There’s no doubt the new family adventure will be a hit at the box office weekend of July 13th, which obviously means a fifth is already in the works. It will be interesting to see what climatic change they will tackle next.
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