Gone Nutty

Like many of it's animated colleagues, Ice Age starts off with a wonderful short film, this time one which was even better known than the rest of the film before it was released. You may remember seeing previews for Ice Age that were made up entirely of footage from Scrat's Missing Adventure, which is probably the most entertaining and amusing short animated film I've ever seen. There is something to be said when a movie like Drop Zone or even a James Bond film like Moonraker can so badly screw up the concept of skydiving, and then a short children's film like this makes the effort to portray it so accurately (with the obvious exception of all that nut gathering business, of course).

I have heard that Scrat was originally meant to play a much larger role in the film, which was to be centered around him as the main character, but other characters were brought in under the demand for a more large scale motion picture. Thankfully, Scrat makes several much-welcome appearances throughout the film, but this opening sequence still stands as probably the best four minutes of the entire film.

Despite his struggles in the film Ice Age, Scrat has managed to fill a hollow tree with his precious nuts. Ever the hoarder, Scrat tries to squeeze another nut into the tree but his greed soon becomes his undoing.

Scrat was the focus of the trailer I saw for this movie, and was a really good little running joke all the way through the film, so to have his own short was both a risk (can he do it himself) and a benefit (his stuff was funny!). Happily the plot simply sees an extension of his Ice Age role of chasing nuts etc. Here the action is expanded and is actually pretty funny.

The short running time is just right as the one basic joke can't be told repeatedly over a longer time without fatigue setting in. As it is, the film just manages to do enough stuff with the nuts to keep it funny without wearing out it's welcome. The final punchline is a real exaggeration but is also very funny!

Overall I doubt this will stand up to repeated viewings (unless you're one of the toddlers I watched it with), but it is still a funny addition to the film.

The first time we met the character Scrat was in the trailer of 'Ice Age'. In that film he was one of my favorite characters and here he returns for 'Gone Nutty', a hilarious animated short. Scrat is collecting acorns but the last one keeps popping out of the stash he has already collected. We understand that Scrat will get in some trouble. Although the main event is predictable, the way the short plays from there is very original.

The trailer for 'Ice Age' seemed a animated short on itself as well; it was very funny. 'Ice Age' was also very funny and 'Gone Nutty' continues on the same funny level. I laughed a lot during this little film and while doing that I was also admiring the beautiful animation. One of the best animated shorts I have seen and finally one that is not made by Pixar Animation Studios.

This also is known as "Scrat's Missing Adventure." Scrat's obsession with his having his nuts organized just right turns out to be his undoing in this crazy animated short, included in the "Ice Age DVD."

This little squirrel became a big hit in the feature film and was awarded with a much bigger role in the sequel. He's now part of the Ice Age gang, if you will. This bonus short shows that he had built up quite a collection of acorns in a hollow tree. But, for some strange reason - call it "perfectionism," that last acorn won't stay put where it is supposed to be. It keeps popping out. Instead of just leaving it as it is, which wouldn't have changed anything, Scrat goes out of his way to make it all look good.....and disaster is the result.

What happens when his little nest of acorns is disrupted is too wild to describe here. It has to be seen to be believed. Of course, it's outrageous but it's a cartoon, and it is fun to watch.

P.S. I viewed it a second time after writing the above review....and enjoyed it even more. This time I really appreciated all the funny noises Chris Wedge made, as Scat the squirrel.

He had enough acorns to last decades, but he had to force one more into his stash. This Ice Age star, saber toothed squirrel, goes overboard and pays the price. The animation is superb and the action sequences wonderful. The main character has so many expressions that are priceless. It's a really fun little cartoon.