Earth’s future is endangered when several asteroids are
directed to Earth. An adventurous weasel named Buck finds an ancient hieroglyph
which reveals that the asteroids’ impact might be predictable and preventable.
Buck must convince his peers to act, but they face a couple obstacles:
preventing the asteroids’ impact might cost one community of animals their access
to perpetual youth, and a group of flying dinosaurs want the asteroids to hit,
believing that because of their ability to fly, they alone will survive. (Spoilers ahead the rest of the way)
Meanwhile, a ground sloth named Sid is lamenting being
single. Manny and Ellie, a wooly mammoth couple, are preparing for their
daughter Peaches’ wedding to Julian and are upset when they learn that she
intends to travel abroad after the ceremony.
The Adoption Connection
This movie isn’t about adoption. It’s possible that the
concept of leaving home might connect with kids who have experienced instability
of home (Peaches intends to head out into the world against her parents’
wishes; the whole herd of animals is threatened by the destruction of their
global home). A trio of villains steal an egg from an expectant parent, but the
villains are thwarted and the egg is returned.
Julian believes he is part of Peaches’ family, but Manny
asserts that he is not part of the family yet.
Although this conversation is
about marriage rather than adoption, it could catch the ear of some kids who do
not yet feel secure in their family.
Strong Points
A group of characters decide to put their individual interests
aside in favor of saving the world.
One character convinces his father to do the right thing,
when his father had planned to do something cruel.
In one scene, an elderly character becomes young again; it
could be fun for young viewers to imagine what their parents must have been
like as children.
Challenges
It appears briefly that Sid’s grandmother has died, but
later she is revealed to have survived.
A saber tooth tiger couple feels that they cannot be parents
because small animals are afraid of them; after they help to save the world,
kids come to them freely, and they begin to believe that they would make good
parents. It might be good to ask kids what makes someone a good parent; the tigers' thoughts are a bit oversimplified.
Weak Points
A father tells his son that, apart from having his mother’s
eyes, he is “completely useless.”
Manny and Ellie scheme to manipulate their daughter, rather
than telling directly telling her their wishes.
A father dinosaur encourages his son to kill a protagonist.
Recommendations
Ice Age: Collision Course seems most likely appeal to
younger viewers, ages 4-9 or so. There are some rather clumsy and ill-fitting innuendo
jokes that appear to be thrown in for parents, but I imagine that they’ll fly
over most kids’ heads. There are a couple scenes that could be scary for some
viewers, but the film also presents a few decent conversation starters. Most
adults and teens will probably find the film boring, but younger kids might
like it, and parents could use the film as a way to have conversations about
selflessness, accomplishments, change, how parents and kids can talk to each
other, and what parents were like as kids.
Questions for
Discussion
What was a time when you chose to do something for other
people, even when you wanted to do something else?
When was a time when you did something that other people thought
you couldn’t do?
One character says that it is important to embrace change,
sometimes. What do you think?
What do you think your parents or grandparents were like when
they were little kids?
One character convinces his dad to do the right thing. What
would you do if you thought your parent was wrong about something important?
How should Ellie’s parents have told her about their fears?
Should they have been more supportive of Ellie?
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