Movie · 2006 · Animation, Family, Comedy, Adventure · 1h 31m · PG · English
Curator score: 2.8/10 (833.7K ratings)
Kiss your nuts goodbye.
Overview
Diego, Manny and Sid return in this sequel to the hit animated movie Ice Age. This time around, the deep freeze is over, and the ice-covered earth is starting to melt, which will destroy the trio's cherished valley. The impending disaster prompts them to reunite and warn all the other beasts about the desperate situation.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.8/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.16/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Carlos Saldanha
Production
20th Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios, 20th Century Fox
Cast
Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Jay Leno, Will Arnett, Chris Wedge, Peter Ackerman, Caitlin Rose Anderson, Connor Anderson, Joseph Bologna, Jack Crocicchia, Peter de Sève, Ariel Winter, Clea Lewis, Stephen Root, Nicole DeFelice, Debi Derryberry
Where to watch
Disney Plus, fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, kid-friendly sequel with strong voice chemistry, elastic slapstick, and a surprisingly effective disaster-movie setup. It’s not as fresh as the original, but it delivers enough warmth, energy, and visual comedy to work well for families and nostalgia viewers.
Best for
families with younger kids
viewers who like broad animated comedy
fans of light disaster-adventure stories
nostalgia rewatchers of early-2000s animation
Skip if
you want sharp writing over silliness
you’re tired of franchise sequels
you dislike potty humor and cartoon chaos
you want the emotional depth of the best animated features
Overview
The Meltdown keeps the franchise’s winning formula intact: a mismatched trio, lots of physical comedy, and a world that feels just dangerous enough to give the jokes some stakes. The melting-ice premise adds momentum, and the movie knows how to turn every new obstacle into a gag or a scramble for survival.
Worth noting
What makes it easy to recommend, even as a sequel, is the chemistry. Manny’s gruffness, Sid’s chaos, and Diego’s dry edge still play well together, and the film leans into that dynamic with enough confidence to keep things moving. The supporting creatures and running visual jokes also give it a steady stream of kid-pleasing energy.
Bottom line
It’s less inventive than the first film and occasionally feels like it’s stretching for material, but it remains a solid family watch. If you’re in the mood for a colorful, fast-moving animated adventure with a few genuinely funny bits and a lot of personality, it does the job.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Naman Gidwani (3★) · 1381 likes
Firmly believe that Scrat The Squirrel is the most tragic character ever written.
lauren (4★) · 1162 likes
ice age is one of the greatest franchises of all time. change my mind.
kyle · 1160 likes
sid & diego definitely a couple
Framesofnick (3★) · 775 likes
Nostalgic for the existential crisis this gave me at age 7
lily! (2.5★) · 607 likes
sometimes a family is:
the fire king
a grumpy gay bitch who can't swim
the sole survivor and last of his kind
a chick who thinks she is a possum
two insane dickheads who share one braincell
and a rat who none of them know, but helps advance the plot in the weirdest ways all the while searching for his 💖nut💖