Ice Age: The Meltdown

In Ice Age: The Meltdown, the squirrely rat-like basket case from the original is back in top comic form, headlining hysterical, Road Runner–style vignettes that channel classic screen comedy throughout the film. As for the main story line, it's back to our familiar trio—Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth, and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (voiced respectively by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary)—who are dealing with the dangers and perks of their slowly melting world. Since it's a sequel, they are obligated to be joined by new pals, including a female mammoth (Queen Latifah) who was raised with two prankster possums (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck). The CGI work here is state-of-the-art, with the most impressive meltdown we've seen since Tom Cruise went on Oprah. Although it's really just interested in the jokes, this smart sequel also has some surprisingly pertinent things to say about global warming and soon-to-be extinct species. Rest assured, this Ice Age doesn't turn into an Al Gore polemic on the crumbling environment, but it still gets its licks in.