Mopey mammoth Manny (voiced by Romano), tetchy tiger Diego (Leary) and spirited sloth Sid (Leguizamo) have formed their own "herd" (read: family), and join a mass migration when their valley is threatened by an imminent flood due to global warming. Manny is reluctantly pleased to find that he might not be the last of his species when they run into the sexy Ellie (Latifah), except that she's been raised as a possum, and thinks she is one, frolicking with her mischievous brothers (Scott and Peck). Can they find safety--and love--before the ice wall collapses?

The plot is so pedestrian that it's almost irrelevant. The melting-ice story is resolved with mindless simplicity, and the love story follows such a standard rom-com arc that it's never remotely interesting. What makes the film hugely watchable is its lively characters and sharp comedic tone. And several set pieces that are so visually inventive (the balancing rocks, the underwater battle) that we barely notice they have absolutely nothing to do with the story.

As with the first film, the filmmakers imaginatively play with ice and water imagery, as well as the prehistoric creatures, including the requisite predators: two primordial crocs. And the film is again stolen by the hilarious antics of Scrat and his errant acorn. He's the real star of this franchise, and the filmmakers keep him on screen just the right amount, punctuating the "main" plot with increasingly Road Runner-ish sequences that keep us giggling helplessly.

The vocal cast is so good that they make the whole film worth seeing; each actor adds a spark of personality that makes his or her character thoroughly engaging and gives each personal quest some pathos we can cling to when things get silly and sappy. Let's just hope that next time, the filmmakers come up with a storyline worthy of these terrific characters.

suspense, some vulgarity and language

28.Mar.06