Parents' Guide to

Ice Age

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Clever, funny, touching; like a great road movie.

Movie PG 2002 85 minutes
Ice Age Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 5+

Based on 30 parent reviews

mradventurous
mradventurous Parent of 7-year-old
February 11, 2015
age 6+

Put down humor was too much

Do yourself a favor and don't expose your young ones to the constant put downs threaded through this movie. The sloth is picked on constantly which did nothing to teach my kids about respecting other human beings. (I might point out that when this movie takes place, the prehistoric sloth megatherium was larger than an elephant and didn't take heat from anyone, but that's another story).
hadista
hadista Adult
May 6, 2022
age 5+
This is a sweet and funny movie with great characters who all have their own distinct flaws which they confront throughout the movie. It teaches that people can change and that you should do the right thing even if its hard. It is a bit scary for younger kids at parts like the beginning and near the end but not graphically so. Younger kids (4 and under) also might find it a bit boring as the movie is mostly comedy. Its a fun movie to watch as a family and enjoyable for older kids and parents.
See all 30 parent reviews

What's the Story?

ICE AGE is a clever, funny, and touching story of an unlikely trio of animals who band together to return a human baby to his family. The story is set when glaciers covered much of the earth, 20,000 years ago. As all of the other animals migrate south in search of food, three characters are moving in the opposite direction. They are a wooly mammoth named Manny (voice of Ray Romano), a sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo), and a saber tooth tiger named Diego (Denis Leary). In classic road movie fashion, they don't like or trust each other very much at the beginning and the journey becomes a psychological one as they share experiences and confidences that make them see each other and themselves very differently.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (30 ):
Kids say (60 ):

This movie is a solid choice for kids old enough to handle the cartoonish violence. It doesn't reach the level of Shrek for wit, there is no romance to keep the grown-ups happy, and the plot has no surprises. But it's told with terrific energy, imagination, visual invention, and humor and it moves along very quickly. Interestingly, the three lead voices are provided by performers who began as stand-up comics rather than actors. Their voices are edgy and distinctive, perfectly matched with their characters.

The computer animation in Ice Age is truly magnificent, from the majestic ice-covered mountains to the texture of the fur and feathers, the glint of the sun on ice, and soft sparkle of the snowflakes falling at night. The pristine settings convey a sense of vastness and promise that will make grown-up viewers pause to think about whether civilization has been all that civilized. All ages will enjoy the facial expressions, body language and -- I have to say it -- performances of the ice age mammals, so vivid and so true that you may forget that they are pixels, not people.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what Manny says about members of a herd being willing to risk their lives for each other in Ice Age. Why was it so important for Manny to return the baby, even though the humans had hunted his herd? How did that help to heal some of Manny's sadness?

  • Why did Diego change his mind about Manny? Why did Manny change his mind about Sid? Was it because of something Sid did or because of something Manny learned about himself, or both?

  • What is different about the way that Diego and Manny react to human attacks?

  • How do the characters in Ice Age demonstrate courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate