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Ice Age (movie) facts for kids

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Ice Age
Ice Age (2002 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chris Wedge
Produced by Lori Forte
Screenplay by Michael Berg
Michael J. Wilson
Peter Ackerman
Story by Michael J. Wilson
Starring Ray Romano
John Leguizamo
Denis Leary
Music by David Newman
Editing by John Carnochan
Studio Blue Sky Studios
20th Century Fox Animation
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) March 15, 2002 (2002-03-15)
Running time 81 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $59 million
Money made $383.3 million

Ice Age is a fun computer-animated movie from 2002. It was directed by Chris Wedge and co-directed by Carlos Saldanha. This film was the first big movie made by Blue Sky Studios. It came out on March 15, 2002, thanks to 20th Century Fox.

The movie features the voices of famous actors like Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary. It takes place during the Ice Age, a time when huge glaciers covered much of the Earth. The story is about three very different characters. There's Manny, a serious woolly mammoth; Sid, a talkative ground sloth; and Diego, a clever saber-tooth tiger. They find a human baby and decide to work together to return it to its family.

You'll also meet Scrat, a funny "saber-toothed squirrel" voiced by Chris Wedge himself. Scrat is always trying to bury his acorn, which often leads to hilarious and chaotic moments!

Ice Age was first planned as a 2D animated film. But it became the first full-length animated movie for Blue Sky Studios. The studio changed from making special effects to creating computer animation. The movie also shifted from being an action-adventure to a comedy. Writers like Michael Berg and Peter Ackerman helped make it funnier.

When Ice Age was released, most people really liked it. It was even nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards. It earned over $383 million around the world, which was a huge success! This movie started the popular Ice Age franchise. There are four sequels: Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), and Ice Age: Collision Course (2016).

The Story of Ice Age

The movie begins with Scrat, a saber-toothed squirrel. He is trying to bury his acorn, but it causes a giant crack in the ground. This crack leads to a huge avalanche that almost squashes him! He barely escapes, but then a herd of animals migrating south steps on him. They are all trying to escape the coming ice age.

Sid, a clumsy ground sloth, gets left behind by his family. He decides to go on his own. But he soon angers two rhinos by messing up their meal. Luckily, Manny, a grumpy woolly mammoth heading north, saves him. Manny fights off the rhinos and continues his journey. Sid doesn't want to be alone, so he follows Manny.

Meanwhile, Soto, the leader of a pack of saber-toothed tigers, is angry. Humans have attacked his pack. Soto wants revenge, so he plans to take the chief's baby. Soto leads an attack on the human camp. The baby's mother is cornered by Diego, one of Soto's tigers. She jumps down a waterfall to escape. Because Diego failed to get the baby, Soto sends him to find it.

A Dangerous Journey

Later, Sid and Manny see the baby and his mother near a lake. The mother survived the fall! She uses her last bit of strength to give her baby to Manny. Then she disappears into the water. After Sid convinces him, Manny agrees to return the baby. But when they reach the human camp, it's empty.

They meet Diego, who offers to help track the humans. He secretly plans to lead them to his pack. His pack is waiting to ambush Manny and Sid at a place called Half-Peak. The four animals travel together, facing many challenges.

They find a cave with amazing cave paintings made by humans. Here, Sid and Diego learn about Manny's sad past. Manny's wife and child were killed by human hunters. This made Manny a loner.

Friends Forever

Soon, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the baby almost reach Half-Peak. But they come across a river of hot lava. Manny, Sid, and the baby cross safely. Diego almost falls into the lava, but Manny saves him. Manny nearly falls in himself while rescuing Diego.

The group rests for the night. The baby takes his first steps towards Diego. Diego starts to change his mind about his mission. The next day, they get close to the ambush spot. Diego, now respecting Manny for saving his life, tells them about the trap. Manny and Sid are angry at first, but Diego asks for their trust. He wants to stop the attack.

The herd battles Soto's pack. Soto's tigers manage to corner Manny. As Soto gets ready to attack Manny, Diego bravely jumps in the way. He gets hurt protecting Manny. Manny then pushes Soto into a rock wall. Sharp icicles fall, killing Soto. The other tigers run away in fear. Manny and Sid are sad, thinking Diego is badly hurt. They continue their journey without him.

Manny and Sid successfully return the baby to his tribe. To their surprise, Diego appears! He has recovered and joins them just in time to see the baby leave. The group then heads off together to find warmer places.

Twenty thousand years later, Scrat is still frozen in a block of ice. He ends up on a tropical island. As the ice melts, his acorn washes away. Scrat finds a coconut and tries to bury it. But he accidentally causes a volcanic eruption!

Who Are the Voices?

The characters in Ice Age are all animals from prehistoric times. These animals can talk to each other. Many famous actors lend their voices to bring them to life! It's important to remember that in movies like this, the rules of time periods are often bent. Many of the animals shown in the film didn't actually live at the same time or in the same places.

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