MovieChat Forums > Ice Age (2002) Discussion > Big Flaw

Big Flaw

posted 22 years ago by mavmaramis
208 replies | jump to latest

Ok so I know this is animation (cartoon) and as such disbelief should be suspended - but suspended how far?

Scientifically this film is ludicrous, mixing two distinctly different geological time zones and creatures into one all encompasing umbrella labelled "Ice Age"

The Ice Age as most scientist define it is a period known as the Pleistocene - the last 2 million years of history up to 10,000 years ago when it changed to the Holocene.

Smilodon (Sabre Tooth Tigers) were primarilly Mesozoic creatures that became extinct along with the rest of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.

Woolly mammoth - Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799), were primarilly Pleistocene creatures. And yes they were around at the same time as humans.

Yada yada - can't have an extinct creature roaming around in a later time frame.

And as for sloths being around where there was permafrost - again dubious.

[–] HeroofCanton152 19 years ago

I dont see it as a big flaw considering it was a light hearted children's comedy.

[–] bigfoot_2k1 19 years ago

Surely movie forums were simply made to discuss movies, whether it be compliments or criticism, compared to realistic situations, etc. Why are there so many people just looking for happy chirpy comments on these boards? Surely the only reason to feel unhappy about an initial post would be if it's in no way related to the film????

[–] turin2112 19 years ago

I read in the bible that everything in this movie was truth
and that you are a doodyhead

everyone knows that baby jebus made the world and the animals and the plants all on the same day
so of course you would have dinos and sabers and all kinds of stuff at the same time as people

of course they were all killed in the great flood

sheeeeshhhhh
doesnt anyone read the Book anymore
?

[–] barlowe2003 19 years ago

Smilodon (Sabre Tooth Tigers) were primarilly Mesozoic creatures that became extinct along with the rest of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.

Where the hell did you read that?? Smilodons were Pliocence/Pleistocene creatures that certainly would have been found living along side mammoths, ground sloths, and the first humans.

However, there ARE some creatures in this film that are anachronistic. The creatures referred to as "rhinos" are titanotheres (they aren't rhinos, but they're built like them and probably behaved like them too) which would have been long extinct at this time. I don't understand why they couldn't have just used wooly rhinos. They were around in the Pleistocene.

And another thing . . . Manny jumps, falls, and slides too many times. He's a mammoth that weighs, what, 5 or 6 tons? In real life, an elephant can only jump or fall once in it's lifetime, and then it's crippled.

And the dodos went extinct in 1681, about as soon as humans discovered it on the island Mauritius.

I'm not sure what species of sloth Sid is supposed to be, but I would like to have seen some of his larger relatives. They're pretty kickass.

[–] Lothar_gr 19 years ago

Why the Dodos are always depicted as idiotic/stupid birds in every cartoon they appear? :-P

[–] beatlemania911 19 years ago

Why is that everything anyone ever says on these posts has to be taken offensively and lampooned/criticized/ insulted. There is nothing wrong with anyones statements on this post as far as I can tell, havnig read most of them relatively thouroughly. I don't see why attacking undergroundwoman (sorry if I misspelled or something) was necassery. She wasn't insulting anyone, nor was she insulting the film. I just wish people would try to read more carefully and not just attack whoever posts something thats even vaguely threatening. (not that her post was). Lets try and be relatively intelligent here?

[–] Greg_2 19 years ago

i think the film is great but what's even better is this thread has lasted 4 years!! how ace and it isnt even your classic, critically acclaimed film. But seriously what is the longest imdb thread up to date.

[–] siyoung91 19 years ago

undergroundwoman....that first post was hilarious!
I couldn't breathe for ages!
Also, to add a bit of nerdiness myself, the animals went past Stonehenge, but all have American accents! Explain that!

"holy marathon, batman!"

[–] bobbyh1981 19 years ago

the storyline is amazing. so what if they can talk. Diego is right in saying that the humans cant talk. Humans only learnt to talk about 1.5 mya. the pleistocene era was 1.6 mya. the other mammals appeared before the humans did.

note: mya means million years ago.

undergroundwoman: stop being so pedantic.

[–] xredgarnetx 19 years ago

I liked the poster who pointed out the three animals and even the baby have been cut off from their families for one reason or anotherm, and in one way or another. They end up bonding and creating their own family, and you damned well know this happens in real life if you watch ANIMAL PLANET. They also provide some very enlightening and witty comments about the environment in which they must survive. The fact is, God knows what any of them ate while on their journey, but other than that, believe it or not, I found the whole scenario quite realistic with the proviso I was watching a bunch of talking and disparate animals. I bet they sent more than one kid to the encyclopedia and the boo store and the library. I know my youngest was excited about the appearance of the humans, with their pronounced and prominent "caveman" brows. This is something she had been studying in school. I also was intrigued by the humans' lack of vocalization or verbalization, which according to another poster here in fact may be historically accurate. A great kids' movie, with just enough nonsense for the adults. Gay rhinos, anyone? Hot tubbing it with a couple of sexy female sloths, using a human baby as a selling point? Great stuff.

[–] Jameswalt1 19 years ago

The fact that this post was started is hilarious. The person who started it is an idiot. IT'S A FUC*ING CARTOON!!!!. I don't know what else to say.

[–] loubyloo3 19 years ago

Did the ice age that most people talk about happen after the dinosaurs became extinct?
Is that when this movie is set?

[–] agentexeider 19 years ago

wait wait wait wait

your talking about scientific errors about who and what lived when. When your talking about a movie where you have a talking animals, specifically a ground sloth that should be dead based on the fact that he is a Klutz, and a lisp to boot, a Sabre Tooth tiger who sounds like an Irish Catholic from Massachusetts, and a Wolly Mammoth who speaks english in the manner befitting someone from Queens New york.

And your talking about scientific accuracy????? of the geology and palentology...

Do you realize who silly that sounds. I mean i didnt know Smilodons sound like Irish Catholics, maybe that explains why they are extinct. they couldnt figure out how to make bathtub gin. *Drum shot*

Come on just enjoy the movie, there are other movies which could use analysis like that

*cough* "The Day after Tommorow" *cough*

[–] bigcheese79 19 years ago

I agree. It is almost even more hilarious that this is a battle that has lasted 4 years...

[–] retrogal83 19 years ago

I'm really enjoying this thread! My hat goes off to you Undergroundwoman, and thanks for teaching me new stuff! Who says films can't be educational, eh?! :) Also, to the individuals who call intelligent people "retards"; well you are the sad ones I guess. Such a shame... :(

I loved this film, but I love learning too.

Lots of love!

Esther x

P.S. How do we actually know that animals can't talk, albeit in their own language??

[–] m-alammar 19 years ago

I can't believe this became such a huge thread. WOW.

"How do we actually know that animals can't talk, albeit in their own language??
"
Most animals do talk through pheremones, "dancing" (bees), or chemical signals. Hell some even sing (whales).

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] tightspotkilo 19 years ago

The same discrepancies bothered me about The Flintstones but somehow I got over it.

Get the facts first - you can distort them later!

[–] Theshapeshifter 19 years ago

I'm usually a stickler for factual accuracy, but I cast that aside for this film.
In any case, the original poster was dead wrong. Smilodon didn't exist anywhere near the era of the dinosaurs.
Also, I must say, this film was fun, but not nearly as fun as the sequel!
Or the third part, I hope! If the plans to make one are still on!

I change shapes at will, but I still can't choose any which I really like!

[–] Jameswalt1 18 years ago

What idiots. Maybe I should start a thread complaining about 'The Simpsons' - I mean I just can't get over the fact that is has yellow people. I can't even watch it because it's so un-factual.

IT'S A FRIGGING CARTOON!!!!!!!

[–] JesterMalcolm 18 years ago

In my 12 years on the web, I can safely say this is the stupidest thread I have EVER... EVER... EVER seen. She sheer idiocy it contains will go down in history.

If you bottled stupid and sold it on eBay, it wouldn't be a dumb as this thread. If you took all the stupid in the universe and multiplied it by itself, there'd still be more stupid per inch in this thread.

I hate this thread and am poorer for having responded to it.

[–] ganstaman56 18 years ago

just stfu you nerd. noone cares. this is a great film.

[–] 0DegreesKelvin 18 years ago

Just to reinforce the original post, this movie has no credibility whatsoever! Everyone knows that mammoths were absolute MASTERS at playing Charades. I mean, the very idea that Manny couldn't get Skrat's clues about the pack of sabre-toothed tigers just stretches way beyond belief. Go up against a mammoth in a round of Charades, and you'll get beaten down every time.

Now the sloth... terrible at Charades. Terrible.

[–] Sphinx871 18 years ago

The fact that this forum was started at all is *beep* ridiculous. It is a KIDs movie ok, I don't think the animators were looking at what animals were extinct when, they wanted to make a kids movie, a mammoth, a saber tooth tiger, and a sloth were what was most appealing to a young crowd (is what they decided). If you’re so smart, don't hate the movie and bitch about it, go read a *beep* book or something. Even if people have counter evidence they are still pathetic. Just enjoy the movie that fact that you came on here and said this is a waste of time, and just stupid. So go get a girlfriend and stop posting scientific crap, naked, eating cheetos, on a kid’s movie board.

Plus if you are so smart why did you go see a kid's movie?

[–] i-swear-it-wasnt-me 18 years ago

who the hell is sad enough to spot that yet alone f u c k ing start a thread on it, get a life

look i promise it wasn't me
ok look ill cut a deal with you
"points at sister" it was her

[–] penumatophores 18 years ago

What do you get when a saber toothed tiger and a sloth mate?

Veriton Legend

[–] i-swear-it-wasnt-me 18 years ago

one of natures rejects?

look i promise it wasn't me
ok look ill cut a deal with you
"points at sister" it was her

[–] crazynhel 18 years ago

Hey...Lord of the Flame...your tails on fire...

[–] inb4dalock 18 years ago

Yeah, and they didn't talk neither!!!