Ice Age (franchise)
Ice Age is an American media franchise centering on a group of mammals surviving the Paleolithic ice age. It consists of computer-animated films and TV specials and a series of video games. The films are produced by Blue Sky Studios, a division of 20th Century Fox Animation as a part of Walt Disney Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox). The series features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Chris Wedge, who are the only constant cast members. Five films have been released in the series thus far: the original film of the same name in 2002, Ice Age: The Meltdown in 2006, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 2009, Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, and Ice Age: Collision Course in 2016. As of April 2016, the franchise had generated $6 billion in revenue,[2] making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
| Ice Age | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Michael J. Wilson[1] |
| Owned by | 20th Century Studios (via Blue Sky Studios) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Short film(s) |
|
| Television special(s) | |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Play(s) | |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) |
|
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | |
Films
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriters | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Age | March 15, 2002 | Chris Wedge | Michael Berg, Michael J. Wilson and Peter Ackerman | Lori Forte |
| Ice Age: The Meltdown | March 31, 2006 | Carlos Saldanha | Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow and Jim Hecht | |
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | July 1, 2009 | Michael Berg, Peter Ackerman, Mike Reiss, Yoni Brenner and Jason Carter Eaton | Lori Forte and John C. Donkin | |
| Ice Age: Continental Drift | July 13, 2012 | Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier |
Michael Berg, Jason Fuchs and Lori Forte | |
| Ice Age: Collision Course | July 22, 2016 | Mike Thurmeier | Michael J. Wilson, Michael Berg, Yoni Brenner and Aubrey Solomon | Lori Forte |
Ice Age (2002)
Sid, a talkative sloth, is left behind by his family and the herds of mammals journeying to the south. He meets Manny, a mammoth who travels to the north, and decides to follow him. When a humans' camp is attacked by tigers, a woman takes her baby and jumps into a river and falls over a waterfall. Before she disappears, the baby is rescued by Manny and Sid. The two animals decide to search for the father and return the baby to him. Diego, one of the tigers that attacked the humans, comes also claiming the baby, and the trio form an uneasy alliance during their journey to the humans.
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Manny, Sid, and Diego are currently living in a large valley surrounded by an enormously high ice wall on all sides. However, the trio discovers that the ice wall is actually a wall that is barely holding a massive body of water that could flood the valley to nearly a mile underwater. A vulture tells them that there is a boat at the other end of the valley that may save them all, but they only have three days to reach it or die. Manny is also having trouble fearing the fact that he may be the last mammoth left. Along the way, they meet Ellie, a mammoth who thinks she is a possum, and her possum brothers Crash and Eddie. As they begin to travel together, Manny learns, with help from Diego and Sid, that he must move on from his past. During their journey, Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel has his own adventure.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Manny and Ellie are expecting their first child, Peaches. Scrat falls in love with fellow squirrel Scratte. Diego is anxious about settling down for a domestic life with Manny's new family. Sid begins to wish for a family of his own, and steals some dinosaur eggs which leads to Sid ending up in an underground world where his herd must rescue him. The herd also meets Buck, an insane one-eyed weasel who aids them on their quest.
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Taking place several years after the events of the third film, with Peaches now a teenager, Scrat's pursuit of acorns has world-changing consequences, separating Manny, Sid and Diego from the rest of their group. As they try to return home, they come into conflict with a pirate gang led by sadistic Captain Gutt.
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
Scrat's pursuit of his elusive acorn catapults him outside of Earth aboard a UFO, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. To save themselves from peril, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd leave their home and reunite with Buck, who leads them on a journey to find a way to save the planet.
Future
On the possibility of a potential sixth film, in June 2016, Galen T. Chu, co-director of the film, stated that there were some ideas for the next installment.[3]
Short films
Gone Nutty
Gone Nutty is a 2002 animated short film, directed by Carlos Saldanha, and originally released on the Ice Age DVD.[4] The short features the character Scrat, who is yet again having troubles with collecting his beloved acorns. The film was nominated for the 2003 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.[5]
No Time for Nuts
No Time for Nuts is a 2006 animated short film, directed by Chris Renaud and Mike Thurmeier, and it was originally released on the Ice Age: The Meltdown DVD.[6] The short follows Scrat on a chase after his nut, which has been accidentally sent back in time by a frozen time machine. No Time for Nuts was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[7]
Surviving Sid
Surviving Sid is a 2008 animated short film, directed by Galen Tan Chu and Karen Disher. It was originally released on the Horton Hears a Who! DVD and Blu-ray.[8] Unlike the first two Ice Age short films, Surviving Sid focuses on Sid, who incompetently "leads" a small group of camping children.
Scrat's Continental Crack-Up
Scrat's Continental Crack-Up is the first of a 2012 two-part animated short. It was released in theaters and home media alongside Gulliver's Travels.
Scrat's Continental Crack-Up: Part 2
Scrat's Continental Crack-Up: Part 2 is the second of a 2012 two-part animated short. It was released in theaters and home media alongside Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.
Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe
Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe is a 2015 animated short film. The short once again follows Scrat, who discovers a flying saucer frozen in a block of ice and accidentally powers it on and ends up creating the Solar System through a series of mishaps.
Scrat: Spaced Out
Scrat: Spaced Out is a 2016 animated short film. The short once again follows Scrat, trying to get back to Earth after the events in Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe.
Television
Specials
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
In the middle of decorating for the holiday season, Sid accidentally destroys Manny's favourite decorations. Sid, convinced by Manny that he is now on Santa's naughty list, takes off with Crash, Eddie and Peaches for the North Pole to get back on the Santa's good side. When on the North Pole, Sid and his crew accidentally destroy Santa's Workshop. When Manny, Ellie and Diego, worried over Peaches's safety, arrive at the North Pole, they must come together and save Christmas.[9]
Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade
The special centers on a harried prehistoric bird mom who entrusts her precious, soon-to-hatch egg to Sid. When she recommends him to her neighbors—a condor mother, Cholly Bear and Gladys Glypto—business booms at his new egg-sitting service.
However, dastardly pirate bunny Squint, who is seeking revenge on the herd, steals, camouflages and hides all the eggs. Once again, with Squint’s twin brother, Clint, assisting, Manny, Diego and the rest of the gang come to the rescue and take off on a daring mission that turns into the world’s first Easter egg hunt.
Television series
CEO of 20th Century Fox Stacey Snider announced that a television series based on Ice Age and centered around the character Buck is in development. With Disney's purchase of Fox, it could potentially appear on the Disney+ streaming platform.[10][11]
Cast
Feature films
Short films
| Characters | Gone Nutty | No Time for Nuts | Surviving Sid | Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe | Scrat: Spaced Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2006 | 2008 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Scrat | Chris Wedge | ||||
| Sid | Silent cameo | John Leguizamo | |||
| Claire | Emily Osment | ||||
| Cindy | Maria Lark | ||||
| Manny | Silent cameo | Ray Romano | |||
| Diego | Denis Leary | ||||
| Scratazons | Karen Disher | ||||
Television specials
| Characters | Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas |
Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2016 | |
| Manny | Ray Romano | |
| Sid | John Leguizamo | |
| Diego | Denis Leary | |
| Scrat | Chris Wedge | |
| Ellie | Queen Latifah | |
| Crash | Seann William Scott | |
| Eddie | Josh Peck | |
| Peaches | Ciara Bravo | Keke Palmer |
| Santa Claus | Billy Gardell | |
| Prancer | T.J. Miller | |
| Ethel | Taraji P. Henson | |
| Squint | Seth Green | |
| Clint | Blake Anderson | |
- Note: A dark grey cell indicates character did not appear in that medium.
Crew
| Film | Director(s) | Producer(s) | Executive producer(s) | Writer(s) | Composer | Editor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Age | Chris Wedge co-directed by: Carlos Saldanha |
Lori Forte | Chris Meledandri | screenplay: Michael Berg, Michael J. Wilson and Peter Ackerman story: Michael J. Wilson |
David Newman | John Carnochan |
| Ice Age: The Meltdown | Carlos Saldanha | Chris Meledandri & Chris Wedge | screenplay: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow and Jim Hecht story: Peter Gaulke & Gerry Swallow |
John Powell | Harry Hitner | |
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Carlos Saldanha co-directed by: Mike Thurmeier |
Lori Forte & John C. Donkin | Chris Wedge | screenplay: Michael Berg, Peter Ackerman, Mike Reiss and Yoni Brenner story: Jason Carter Eaton | ||
| Ice Age: Continental Drift | Steve Martino & Mike Thurmeier | Chris Wedge[12] & Carlos Saldanha | screenplay: Michael Berg & Jason Fuchs story: Michael Berg & Lori Forte |
James M. Palumbo & David Ian Salter | ||
| Ice Age: Collision Course | Mike Thurmeier co-directed by: Galen T. Chu |
Lori Forte | screenplay: Michael J. Wilson, Michael Berg and Yoni Brenner story: Aubrey Solomon |
John Debney | James M. Palumbo |
Reception
Box office performance
All five films, produced on a total budget of $429 million, have grossed over $3.2 billion worldwide, making Ice Age the 18th highest-grossing franchise of all time, and the third highest-grossing animated franchise worldwide behind Despicable Me and Shrek.[13] The first four films were the highest-grossing animated films in each year they were released, and among the eight highest-grossing films in their respective release years.[14][15][16][17] However, the fifth film was considered a commercial disappointment and is the lowest-grossing film in both the franchise and Blue Sky's filmography (when adjusted for inflation).[18][19]
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | ||||
| Ice Age | March 15, 2002 | $176,387,405 | $206,869,731 | $383,257,136 | #189 | #193 | $59 million | [20] |
| Ice Age: The Meltdown | March 31, 2006 | $195,330,621 | $465,610,159 | $660,940,780 | #148 | #70 | $80 million | [21] |
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | July 1, 2009 | $196,573,705 | $690,113,112 | $886,686,817 | #147 | #30 | $90 million | [22] |
| Ice Age: Continental Drift | July 13, 2012 | $161,321,843 | $715,922,939 | $877,244,782 | #225 | #32 | $95 million | [23] |
| Ice Age: Collision Course | July 22, 2016 | $64,063,008 | $344,516,030 | $408,579,038 | #1,161 | #228 | $105 million | [24] |
| Total | $793,676,582 | $2,423,031,971 | $3,216,708,553 | #22 | #17 | $429 million | [25][26] | |
Critical and public response
While the first film received generally positive reviews, the series has received some criticism for making no attempt to be scientifically accurate[27][28][29] and has suffered a steadily declining critical reception with each succeeding film.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Age | 77% (166 reviews)[30] | 60 (31 reviews)[31] | A[32] |
| Ice Age: The Meltdown | 57% (144 reviews)[33] | 58 (29 reviews)[34] | A[32] |
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | 46% (161 reviews)[35] | 50 (25 reviews)[36] | A-[32] |
| Ice Age: Continental Drift | 38% (133 reviews)[37] | 49 (29 reviews)[38] | A-[32] |
| Ice Age: Collision Course | 18% (118 reviews)[39] | 34 (27 reviews)[40] | B+[32] |
Video games
- Ice Age was released in 2002 by Ubisoft for Game Boy Advance.
- Ice Age 2: The Meltdown was released in 2006 by Sierra Entertainment for Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Xbox, and PC.
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was released by Activision on June 30, 2009, for PC, Wii, DS, PS2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
- Ice Age 3 - Boulder Drop was an online game released in 2009.
- Ice Age 3 - Dino Dinner was an online game released in 2009.
- Ice Age 3 - Slippery Slope was an online game released in 2009.
- Ice Age Village was a mobile video game released by Gameloft on April 5, 2012, to iPhone, iPad, and various Android devices,[41] and on April 24, 2013, to Windows Phone.[42] The game allows players to build a village while characters from the films set them goals. Player's can also visit their friend's villages, play mini games and watch videos.
- Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games was released by Activision on July 10, 2012, to Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360.[43]
- Ice Age Online was a free-to-play browser-based adventure platform game produced by Bigpoint Games for its gaming portal.[44] Beta version of the game was launched on July 10, 2012, which put players in the role of Sid, who has to rescue lost members of his herd, separated by a volcanic eruption.[44]
- Ice Age - Clueless Ice Sloth was an online game released in 2012.
- Ice Age Adventures was a free-to-play game was released by Gameloft on August 7, 2014 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android, Windows Phone and Windows 8.[45]
- Ice Age: Arctic Blast was a mobile match-3 puzzle game, developed by Zynga and Eat Sleep Play, and featuring content from all five films, was released in June 2016 for iOS and Android devices.[46]
- Ice Age Avalanche was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age Hailstorm was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age Mission Control was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age - Manic Meteor Run! was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age - Geode Jam! was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age - Coloring Book was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age - Matching Cards was an online game released in 2016.
- Ice Age: Scrat's Nutty Adventure was released in 2019 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Live show
Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure is a live arena ice show that combines ice skating, aerial arts, puppetry and film, and tells a new story based on the first three Ice Age films.[47] The plot begins with baby mammoth Peaches being kidnapped by an evil hawk-like creature called Shadow. Her father Manny sets off to rescue Peaches, accompanied by Sid and Diego. Their mission is successful, but on the way home they encounter avalanches and rockfalls, diverting them into a fantasy underground kingdom.[48]
It is being produced by Stage Entertainment Touring Productions, and directed by Guy Caron and Michael Curry.[49] The music and lyrics were written by Ella Louise Allaire and Martin Lord Ferguson.[49] With the preview shows from October 19 to 21, 2012, in Cardiff, and from October 25 to 28, 2012, in Nottingham, A Mammoth Adventure officially premiered on November 2, 2012,[49] during its three-day tour from November 1 to 3 at Wembley Arena in London.[50] It continued in Germany in November 2012,[51] with a plan to visit more than 30 countries in its five-year worldwide tour.[47] In August 2016, Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure concluded its world tour and was replaced in North America by Ice Age On Ice.[52]
Themed land
Ice Age inspired rides and attractions will be featured at the first 20th Century Fox theme park, called 20th Century Fox World,[53] to open in 2019 as part of Malaysia-based Resorts World Genting.[54]
References
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