Ice Age
i’m giving the original ice age a solid 4.5/5. it’s 2024, and while the franchise eventually went off the rails with like six sequels, this first one is a low-key animated masterpiece. it’s got that raw, early-2000s energy that hits way harder than the overly polished stuff we see now.
the trio is an absolute flex. john leguizamo as sid is the literal goat—his lisp and 'lovable idiot' vibe are comedy gold. then you have ray romano as manny bringing that elite, jaded 'dad energy' and denis leary as diego with the sarcastic predator vibes. the 'found family' dynamic between a mammoth, a sloth, and a saber-tooth tiger is a total masterclass in character writing.
the real mvp, though, is scrat. his sisyphus-level struggle with that acorn is the ultimate visual flex. it’s basically high-stakes silent comedy woven into a movie about the end of the world. the sub-zero aesthetic is simple but effective, and the soundtrack by david newman is 10/10 vibes.
the only reason it’s not a perfect 5 is the animation quality. rewatching it in 2024, the fur textures and backgrounds look a bit blocky compared to what pixar was doing at the time. also, the human subplot is a little basic, but that final goodbye with the baby is still an emotional gut-punch.
overall, it’s a polished, hilarious, and high-intensity ride. it’s pure 'main character' energy for the animals and a total nostalgia-trip classic. 9/10. absolute banger