Ice Age: Collison Course, the fifth in the popular series, brings back the same characters we known and love, and a few new ones, for more laughs and hijinks as imminent danger is within striking distance.
Collision Course begins just as the others with Scrat, the hapless saber-toothed squirrel, recklessly attempting to capture the same elusive acorn. Unaware of what’s happening around him, he triggers the Big Bang Theory putting planet earth in danger. While the world prepares itself for the asteroid strike, Manny and Ellie mentally prepare themselves for the marriage of their daughter Peaches and Julian, Sid finally gets a steady mate and the band as a whole attempt to save ground zero from the disastrous strike of the burning rock headed towards them. In their quest for safety, the family of beasts land in Shangri-La hoping to find the key to survival if everyone can manage to work together.
Ahead of the July 22nd US release date, film stars Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Wanda Sykes shared insights on their respective character’s personal evolution from a band of lone wolves to family animals. Plus the cast took turns sharing the challenges and triumphs of voicing and the evolution of Hollywood’s favorite prehistoric blended family.
“Finally I get to link up and schmooze, and she’s hot too!” said John Leguizamo on his character Sid finally getting an online girlfriend. While Ray Romano quipped that, “Animated threesomes are far less stressful because the actors aren’t going to going to yell too big.”
“It’s almost like a magical that comes through the pipeline of your people,” Queen Latifah added on preparing to do another installment of the film. “It’s exciting because we can make most r-rated, raw, stuff [in our careers] but to make something that the kids enjoy, this will be part of their childhood memories and that’s very cool.”
In the end, the film continues to be visually fantastic with a talented band of characters giving their best efforts but the storyline falls a little flat compared to the previous offerings.
Grade: B-
Distributor: Fox
Production companies: Twentieth Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios
Cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Devine, Keke Palmer, Max Greenfield, Jessie J, Jessie Tyler Ferguson, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Wanda Sykes
Directors: Michael Thurmeier, Galen Tan Chu
Screenwriters: Michael Wilson, Michael Berg, Yoni Brenner
Producer: Lori Forte
Executive producers: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Editor: James Palumbo
Composer: John Debney
Rated PG, 94 minutes