In the energetic sequel Ice Age: The Meltdown, youngsters may fret over whether the animal heroes will reach their new home safely, parents may wonder how all this melting ice parallels the current concerns about global warming, and 20th Century Fox Animation may have to figure out what to do with the bounty undoubtedly flowing its way from box office and DVD coffers. Ray Romano again heads the voice cast, reunited with John Leguizamo and Denis Leary from the original 2002 Ice Age.

The story gets under way with the zany sloth Sid (Leguizamo) running a day camp for young animals. His old buddies -- the mature woolly mammoth Manny (Ray Romano)

Scrat, one of the characters in Ice Age:The Meltdown

and the dryly witty saber-toothed tiger Diego (Leary) -- make Sid realise that he is really quite unsuitable as any kind of role model. Con artist armadillo Fast Tony (Jay Leno) alerts the various breeds that a global warming will immi-

nently melt the enormous glacial dam that protects their valley. Oceans of water will flood the landscape, thus they must embark on a trek toward safety.

The charm of the original film was its endearing character development, mixing humor with personality traits with real dimension.

In most respects, this sequel is better than the original. No human characters appear this time, so it's a more seamless animal tale. The film's overall story line, complete with predatory prehistoric alligator creatures, is more involving.

Director Carlos Saldanha has made a vivid, entertaining and educational family film that never flags.

Source: Internet