Ice Age: Collision Course
Detailed parental analysis
Ice Age: Continental Drift is a family animated comedy with a light and joyful tone, driven by slapstick humour and the mishaps of endearing characters. The plot sends the prehistoric gang on a race against time to deflect an asteroid threatening Earth, whilst each character navigates their own emotional upheavals. The film is aimed primarily at young children and their families, though older children and adults may find less to sink their teeth into than in other instalments of the franchise.
Parental and Family Portrayals
Family dynamics are the true emotional engine of the film. The father, Manny, is portrayed as overprotective, struggling to accept that his adult daughter is starting her own family with a partner of her choosing. The tension between paternal love and an adult child's right to autonomy is handled in a way that is clear and honest for a film of this register. It is probably the most interesting theme to discuss with a child or pre-adolescent: when protection becomes control, and how a family learns to reinvent itself.
Underlying Values
The narrative rests on solid and clearly affirmed values: solidarity, courage in the face of adversity, and the prioritisation of collective bonds over individual interests. Marriage and romantic commitment are celebrated through several couples, presented as natural and happy outcomes. None of these values is questioned or subverted; the film operates in a reassuring and normative register, which gives it simple moral coherence but also a certain flatness for older viewers.
Language
The film regularly uses scatological humour and a few light double entendre jokes, such as allusions to bottoms, poo or phrases with discreet adult undertones. These elements are treated in the manner of classic children's comedy, without outright vulgarity. The impact is mild, but parents who wish to avoid this register with very young children may prefer to anticipate a few knowing laughs or questions.
Violence
Violence is limited to comedic slapstick with no actual physical consequences: characters are flung, bumped or roughed up in a classical cartoon register. To this are added natural disaster peril (asteroid, meteorites) and pursuits by predatory flying reptiles which may be intense for the youngest and most sensitive children, even though the tone remains firmly in the register of humorous adventure. No gratuitous violence or gore.
Strengths
The film offers colourful and dynamic animation, effective at holding the attention of young viewers. Physical humour works well for nursery and primary school children, and supporting characters deliver some appreciable comic touches. On substance, the franchise has provided several generations of children with a playful introduction to simplified notions of prehistory, extinction and cosmology, and this instalment does not betray that legacy. On the other hand, the screenplay does not sufficiently renew the formula to surprise viewers already familiar with previous episodes, and the writing falls short of the best animated films of the genre.
Age recommendation and discussion points
The film is accessible from age 5 for children comfortable with animated peril scenes, and constitutes safe entertainment up to around age 10-11. After viewing, two discussion angles are worth pursuing: asking the child why Manny struggles to let his daughter make her own decisions, and what that says about parental love; and exploring together the notion of natural disaster addressed in the film, connecting it to what the child knows or imagines about Earth and space.
Synopsis
Set after the events of Continental Drift, Scrat's epic pursuit of his elusive acorn catapults him outside of Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. To save themselves from peril, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd leave their home and embark on a quest full of thrills and spills, highs and lows, laughter and adventure while traveling to exotic new lands and locations.
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2016
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Countries
- United States of America
- Original language
- EN
- Studios
- Blue Sky Studios, 20th Century Fox Animation, 20th Century Fox
Content barometer
- Violence1/5Mild
- Fear2/5A few scenes
- Sexuality1/5Allusions
- Language1/5Mild
- Narrative complexity1/5Accessible
- Adult themes0/5None
Values conveyed
- Courage
- Friendship
- Perseverance
- Autonomy
- family
- teamwork