Ice Age (2002) Dir: Chris Wedge & Carlos Saldanha

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When it comes to childhood favourites, there are certain films we revisit time and time again. But equally, there are those that perhaps we don't, but that evoke those same wonderful feelings of nostalgia and sentimentality we all love to feel. This is one of those latter films. I don't watch it often, but when I do, I enjoy it. The film was directed by Chris Wedge, with some co-direction from Carlos Saldanha, and kickstarted a commercially successful and popular family franchise.

I do, occasionally, have to remind myself just how fast computer generated images have developed since 'Toy Story' became the first fully 3D animated feature film back in 1995. I think we as viewers take these developments for granted a little sometimes, myself included, so it's never a bad thing to go back and see how far animation has come. This film, made in 2002, looks terrible compared to modern animation, but in context, it's actually not bad at all. The most important aspect; the animals, looked decent enough anyway.

The story was a lot more basic than I remember it being, but I didn't mind too much, because the physical and verbal comedy made it entertaining enough anyway. The film is so quotable, which only intensifies the nostalgic feelings towards the film - I've been quoting this film for decades now. The unconventional 'Three Men And A Baby' narrative proved to be a successful and highly enjoyable formula for the film, and the simplicity of it all really didn't hurt it much.

The voice acting trio of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary, were all great value for money, and had great chemistry, which I always find very impressive with voice acting roles, particularly those that were recorded in isolation. Leguizamo has always been the most memorable voice in this film, and for good reason - his portrayal of Sid the sloth is absolutely hilarious, and never fails to make me laugh.

Overall, I think I'll always enjoy revisiting this childhood favourite of mine. Despite its relative age, it still looks okay, and entertains doubly so. It's a very basic family film with a very basic story, but in its simplicity it succeeds in providing relatable characters, lighthearted comedy, and even some genuinely emotional moments - it has a little of everything. The sequels never really lived up to the original, which is a shame, but at least this one will always be a tonne of fun.