Ice Age: The Meltdown

The sequel to the 2002 animated hit takes place thousands of years later, but the three heroes are still around: Manny the mammoth (voice by Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the saber-toothed cat (Denis Leary), on a trek to safety before the melting glaciers flood their valley home. The story is a crock, and the gags are just pop-culture in-jokes with nothing to do with the characters (and, worse, they aren’t funny). Even the setting isn’t really important—it’s just something writer Jon Vitti and director Carlos Saldanha felt like animating. If you liked Ice Age, you may be more patient with this, but it’s still not as good as the original. On the other hand, if you thought the original was a lifeless, forgettable bore, you’ll find the sequel outdoing it on both counts.