Deigo's Finale.
He was meant to die at the ending but test audiences (children) kept crying so they changed it. What would you have done if they kept the original ending?
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MovieChat Forums > Ice Age (2002) Discussion > Deigo's Finale.
I would've been crushed, personally, since the majority of the Original Ice Age is Diego's story arc from villain to a villain protagonist who has seen what love really is and so is willing to step to lay down his own life for his newfound herd, and I've never seen it as "forced" at all, since I feel that if he died it would've been a waste of his character and terribly unfair as well, since his death at the end - whilst a heroic sacrifice - would've been horrible if they left it like that.
You can see the effects on Manny and Sid already, and I think that if Diego had died, Manny wouldn't have been able to cope with it since once again he'd lost someone he'd grown really close to and he was still working through the stages of grief for his own family. To have Diego remain dead would've been a cruel blow to Manny, especially and I can rationalise this because the sabre and the mammoth form a bond tested by fire throughout the film, and in the other movies Diego is pretty much Manny's bastion, even if he doesn't get that many lines; since it's Diego's presence that matters to Manny.
And re the other commentator saying you could easily write Diego out and it wouldn't be noticeable, in my opinion that would be awful, since Diego is a critical member of the herd in his own way (my guess is that the first person who replied has only seen Meltdown and the Christmas special) and in DoTD you can really see the beauty of his and Manny's relationship, since it's the crux of the film since Diego's struggling with Manny's busyness over the birth of his second child to the point that he neglects his friends, making Diego feel unneeded, and the film is all about establishing just how important Diego is to Manny - and the rest of the herd.
So, in short, if they had kept the original ending I would've cried loads and been quite depressed, since I love Diego and his role in that film and all his character growth, and to kill him off would negate all of that.
By the by, it was Denis Leary who actually protested that they keep Diego alive, because he said "it would make the kids cry" (you can find this on the special features of the Ice Age 2-disc special edition) and if you ask me, he was right! Diego dying in the Original would've been too emotionally hard to undergo after the audience had gotten to know him, and he is a critical member of the herd, so he is very much needed! ;-;
Look, I'm sorry if I upset you-also, besides this movie, I have only seen The Meltdown and the Christmas special.
Also admittedly some of my opinion comes from biases (I just don't really like the "is he dead? No, he isn't!" ending. It really bugs me...).
Plus, I didn't mean to say it's not possible he's not more important in the other movies just, from The Meltdown and the Christmas Special, it seemed like his character was being treated poorly by the creators.
I call movies that are considered 'bad' hated movies.
Oh haha you didn't upset me! I just have very strong opinions on Ice Age plus the other movies and even more so THE CHARACTERS because Ice Age is pretty much my most favourite movie in existence. :D
Hmmm... I can understand those biases, though to be honest I've never had a problem with those sorts of endings, possibly because I'm very used to willing suspension of disbelief and so they make sense to me. (That, and the only other movie that I've really seen that used that plot device was The Land Before Time, the 1988 film, but other than that I don't have much of a reference point to dislike it.)
Plus, I didn't mean to say it's not possible he's not more important in the other movies just, from The Meltdown and the Christmas Special, it seemed like his character was being treated poorly by the creators.
Your statement caused me to think over the Meltdown (not going to bother with the Christmas Special since I've only seen it like twice and thought it was okay, but it's not really "canon" in my mind)and I have some analysis that I've thought over for you.
In the Meltdown, it's Diego's quiet actions that encourage Manny in the midst of different problems (ie the other animals' mockery that he's the last mammoth, stating that it would be a good idea for Ellie to join them, etc) and he's also crucial in being the only creature in the herd who keeps his head when the rocks crumble underneath everyone's feet during Manny and Ellie's argument that nearly leads to everyone being killed. If not for Diego being there, everyone would have died.
There's also the fact that, in the Meltdown, Diego serves a counterpoint to Sid's insensitive comments to Manny by putting the sloth in his place in order to protect Manny's feelings. If Diego wasn't there, Manny's emotional turmoil during the Meltdown, because of Sid + others' insensitivity, would've probably been ten times worse on him.
There's also the other fact that Diego is the voice of reason (carrying over from the first movie, when he wasn't being villainous, he was a good voice of reason) and tries to warn Manny about the dangers of some of their obstacles - such as the geyser field - and act as the intercessor for when Manny and Ellie disagree.
How he's written in the other material is really quite subtle, but I can't see any sign that he's been treated poorly by the creators (Sid, with his flanderisation in films three to four, on the other hand....) and I love how he's a vital member of the team; the strong, silent type whose presence is his greatest asset and whose guidance is respected. (Unless your name is Sid. But then Sid hardly listens to the guidance of anyone.) share
So glad that they kept him. He's the best character in the Ice Age movies.
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