A bunch of animals are having fun sliding down ice slides. There is also a smaller version for the kids.

Sid tries to be a counselor for them, but fails to get them to listen to him. Manny and Diego convince Sid that he shouldn’t bother trying anymore.

Shortly after, Manny tells a story about a burro. But he unintentionally hints at how he has no family.

A vulture warns the animals that the ice is going to melt. So, they head in the direction in which they’re told to go.

On the way, Manny meets two possums, Crash and Eddie. He also meets a female mammoth, Ellie, who thinks she’s a possum. Crash, Eddie, and Ellie end up joining Manny, Sid, and Diego on their journey.

Manny hints at having strong feelings for Ellie. But that annoys her. She, Eddie, and Crash,  temporarily leave him and the other two.

Later, though, while on a breaking-cliff, Manny apologizes to Ellie. She forgives him.

That night, Sid is kidnapped by a group of mini sloths. They “worship” him and then try to toss him into a volcano with a roped vine. Luckily, he bounces back to the cliff.

The next morning, the herd encounters some hungry vultures, who sing, “Food Glorious Food” (from the musical, Oliver, but with some of the lyrics changed). Then they encounter geisers, and have to worry about surviving.

One of the biggest strengths in this movie is the humor, particularly with Sid. His lack of intelligence made me laugh, along with how he failed to run a camp since the kids wouldn’t listen to him. 

Another funny scene is when Manny told Sid that his breath smelled like ants. The characters continued to maintain their relationships with each other.

Manny remained as his irritable self, and Diego stayed as his tough self. And Scrat, although not part of the main herd, still tried to retrieve his acorn, but never succeeded. 

One scene related to that had Scrat attempt to get his acorn while in a nest with a baby bird. Even though the baby bird was interested in being with Scrat, its mother forced him away. Then the baby bird waved goodbye to him. I found that cute.

Despite the strengths, though, the movie did have a few flaws. One was how the plot was hard to follow at times due to the multiple subplots, such as the animals not part of the main trio with Ellie, Crash, and Eddie, migrating. Of course, it needed to happen. And I don’t think it was a major issue. In fact, I enjoyed those scenes.

However, a big weakness was the language. The film included some mild profanity, even though it was targeted toward families. It is rated PG. But that shouldn’t mean it can have foul language. 

I saw this movie in the theater when I was 12. And there were little kids in the audience. Regardless of that, though, this movie is okay for children as long as they can avoid repeating those words. But I think the best age to watch this film is 7 and up.

Overall, I enjoyed Ice Age: The Meltdown. As a sequel, it can stand on its own and not require the audience to see the first installment prior to this.

I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.