A 2002 road trip comedy directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldaña, it is the first feature film produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first installment in the Ice Age film series. The film centers on a grumpy woolly mammoth named Manny, a chatty and playful ground sloth named Sid, and a sinister and mysterious saber-toothed tiger named Diego, who attempt to return a lost human child to his tribe. The film stars Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Chris Wedge, Goran Visnic, Jack Black, Alan Tudyk, and Diedrich Bader. It was released theatrically on March 15, 2002. The film was well received by audiences and film critics alike, who praised its story, characters, humor, voice acting (especially Leguizamo and Leary), emotion, Newman's music, climax, and message, with many calling it one of the best animated films of all time. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film was also a box office success, grossing $176 million domestically and a worldwide total of $383 million.
