It's normal for highly successful franchises to have Halloween, Christmas, and other specials, but was this really necessary? The decline of Blue Sky Studios and the Ice Age saga was more than evident. This short film is an example of that.
"Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" is a special that tries its best to recapture the essence of its previous movies, but falls short. "A Mammoth Christmas" is a special that does everything possible to recapture the essence of its previous movies, but it falls short. Here, the radical change in the story and especially in each character within the franchise is evident, with absurd, convenient, and very weak narrative arguments. That simplicity and exceptional comedy was lost.
Karen Disher tried and ended up with a simple Christmas short film with not much to offer. The story feels very underdeveloped and possibly boring for many viewers. Those who can fully enjoy this special are the little ones at home, of course, it is made for them, but for true Ice Age fans, it leaves much to be desired.
It is understandable that one wants to exploit to the fullest a saga that left great moments in animated cinema, but sometimes those are negative points with very strong consequences and we already know the result.
From my perspective, it entertains in a simple way, they make every effort to add the essence of the first movie, and they succeed for a few seconds in various scenes. Our prehistoric friends embark on another adventure, not so epic but conventional to add the Christmas spirit. Without a doubt, the best and most notable might be Sid the sloth, with his characteristic comedy and very bizarre eloquence. Another one that brings a brief smile is Scrat and Prancer.
On the part of Manny, Diego, and Ellie, very forced, they greatly lost their essence. Crash and Eddie don't stand out as they should. Each of them is treated in a perfunctory manner. The animation has small changes and at times it seems a bit strange, but its fluidity of movement is great.
Even so, it barely passes for that attempt to capture its main essence. It deserves a chance if you like Christmas and the adventures of our prehistoric mammals.
