I get that the ICE AGE movies have some sort of fandom among young children, and good for them. They deserve something that entertains them in those early years, and, if those flicks do it for them, so be it. They do nothing for me though, and the only silver lining I find in this cloud of weak family fare is the appearance of that poor little squirrel Scrat.
This character has a story we can all identify with – he’s a squirrel trying to get a nut, and somehow the universe continues to conspire against him having that one simple pleasure. If only the ICE AGE series was based around that, rather than those other annoying animals, we might have something interesting on our hands. Instead he’s mostly be relegated to the first teaser trailer for each new movie and that’s about it.
However, Blue Sky and 20th Century Fox Animation have shifted gears a bit, attaching a full Scrat short to THE PEANUTS MOVIE this past weekend as it opened in theaters. Titled COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE, the film takes Scrat’s usual chase for the always-elusive acorn into outer space, putting a new spin on the creation of our solar system.
There are a couple of laughs to be snagged here, so it’s not a bad waste of a few minutes… I only wish we got Scrat with a bit more frequency in this form. There seems to be a good deal of potential in the character if they continue to mine it for such short bursts. For the first time out like this though, it seems like a decent start.
ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE is set to hit theaters on July 22, 2016.