ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN

Transcription

1 ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN This study guide suggests cross-curricular activities based on the film Ice Age: the Meltdown directed by Carlos Saldanha. The activities seek to complement and extend the enjoyment of watching the film, while at the same time meeting some of the requirements of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1 & 2.

2 Synopsis and overview of the story Ice Age: The Meltdown is the sequel to the 2003 hit Ice Age. The film stars a trio of prehistoric animals that have formed themselves into an unusual family. Ice Age the Meltdown is set some time after the Ice Age prequel at a time when natural warming of the planet is causing the animal s icy habitat to melt. In the opening scenes the creatures are seen to be thrilled at the melting of ice which is turning the valley in which they live into a fun-filled water world. Manny, Sid, and Diego quickly learn that the warming climate has one major drawback: A huge glacial dam holding off oceans of water is about to break, threatening the entire valley. The only chance of survival lies at the other end of the valley. It is a difficult task to persuade their fellow valley dwellers of the imminent danger but eventually, with perseverance, they manage to talk the crowds around and a mass evacuation commences. The film follows our three heroes as they embark on a mission across an everchanging, increasingly dangerous landscape towards their salvation Along the journey we learn of Manny s paternal urges to start a family, but nobody has seen another mammoth for a long time; Manny thinks he may be the last one. That is, until he miraculously finds Ellie, the only female mammoth left in the world. But, as luck would have it the two can't stand each other and Ellie somehow thinks she's a possum! Ellie comes with some excess baggage in the form of her two possum "brothers"...crash and Eddie, a couple of daredevil pranksters and cocky, loudmouthed troublemakers, all of whom tag along with our trio on the road to safety. The film reaches a crescendo in the penultimate scene when the bond between our unusual friends is tested to the limits as they become caught up in the gushing floods. The Characters show strength, commitment and sacrifice as they help one another out of increasingly dangerous situations and finally make it to dry land. To the surprise of everyone, not least Manny and Ellie a herd of woolly mammoths appear on the horizon of their new valley. Ellie and Manny are faced with a seemingly impossible choice, their own, small mismatch family of odd-bods or a full herd of their own kind.

3 Before the film Here are some questions to think about before the film: 1. Ice Age: The Meltdown is an animated film, what do you know about animation? 2. What other animated films have you seen? 3. From the title what do you think the film is about? 4. Does it sound like a happy or sad film? Animation Definition of Animation; *The process of photographing drawings or objects a frame at a time; by changing a drawing or moving an object slightly before each frame is taken, the illusion of motion is realized. To bring to life (source: Oxford English Dictionary) Animation has been around for a long time. There are lots of different ways to animate pictures, but they all rely on the same idea; showing moving images quickly one after the other. The human eye cleverly tricks the person into believing they are actually seeing a moving image. Animations are made all over the world and have become a very popular genre of filmmaking. Can you name other animations that you have seen, discuss with a neighbour what it is about animations that you particularly enjoy. The type of animation used to create the Ice Age films is called CGI, these letters stand for Computer Generated Imagery. Rather than sketching out characters and objects using pencil and paper CGI creates a 3D model on a computer screen that can be viewed from different angles. The computer starts by creating a wire frame of the model. Animators can then instruct the computer to add surface layers and textures to this frame, creating a realistic end product. Because of its ability to mimic reality, CGI is also used to produce special effects in live-action films. CGI can create digital tears or blood, embellish backgrounds and sets, make a small crowd seem large, or touch up the actors' wrinkles and flaws.

4 Use of the computer does not necessarily mean less work for the animator. It took four years to complete Toy Story, the first completely CGI-animated feature; coincidentally, it took the same amount of time for the Disney Studios to finish Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Ice Age the Meltdown took just 8 months to create, which is a relatively short amount of time for a full length animated feature. The animators job was made easier by the fact that most of the characters had already been designed and created for the first Ice Age movie. Animation Activities Make your own storyboard. Choose an important event or scene that happens in the film, and draw what happens in pictures on to your own storyboard. Create a new character that could appear in the film. Decide if your character is friendly or if they are an enemy to Manny, Sid and Diego. Make a list of how your character might sound, move, talk, and what it likes and dislikes. Work with a partner/small group to discuss how you can make them more realistic. Use a mix of paints, pencils and a collage affect to add colour to your character. Animation Discussions Ice Age: The Meltdown is a lighthearted and fun family film, but it does carry some more serious messages about the environment, global warming and animal extinction. Think of another animated film that you have seen recently. Can you find a serious or important message in it? Do you think all films have a message? Is animation a good medium for conveying important or serious messages or do you think documentary or live action would be better? Why?

5 Cross Curricular activities - Key Stage 1: Look up some of the animals that feature in the film, for example mammoth, sloth, possum, sabre-toothed tiger. Find out what you can about these animals and make a collage or painting showing the animal in its natural habitat. The animals in the film could not influence the meltdown as it was due entirely to natural causes. However, today s melting ice caps are a combination of man-made changes as well as natural ones. What do the children know about how their way of life impacts on the environment? What have they heard about that could effect a positive change and help preserve some species of animals that are threatened with extinction? Design a poster for your school or home to encourage recycling. For example in the class room paper and plastics can be recycled and left over food such as fruit skins can be made into compost. Show people how they can make a difference! Imagine you are one of animals from the film and write a postcard or letter to send to a friend or family member that lives far away; tell them all about what is happening to your home environment. Discussion topics In the film we see a group of animal friends facing the challenges of the destruction of their known world. At first the animals seem to have no cares as they enjoy playing in the melting waters, but soon they have to move quickly to escape being hurt as the floods become more dangerous. The group is an unlikely one as these animals would normally not co-exist or live in harmony in the wild. However, we see their best qualities working together to solve the problems. Ask children to think of ways the animals co-operate and help one another when faced with a problem. Ask children to relate these ideas to their own lives, for example, have they helped a friend in need, or can they recall being helped by someone wise when they had a problem to overcome.

6 Cross Curricular Activities - Key Stage 2: Think about and research the Greenhouse effect relating to: What is the greenhouse effect? Why can it be a problem? What are its effects? How can it be reduced? Antarctica / the ozone hole. The causes, effects, and impacts of Sea-Level Rise The environment How can you help protect it? What personal changes can you make? Recent scientific evidence supporting changes that have been discovered in recent years The possible effects on animals, plants, land and humans Create your own newsletter that includes: Illustrations, showing the effect of global warming. An imaginative cartoon, showing the dangers Advertisements showing products we may use to help reduce the problem A brief survey Are the general public aware of what the Greenhouse effect is? What changes to their way or life are they willing to make? Create a news report An audiotape no longer than 2 minutes in the style of a news review. The tape should feature either a current / recent or imaginary incident that can be related back to global warming. You can include eye witnesses, scientific data and sound effects. Use your imagination, but remember you are reporting on a serious matter!

7 Creative activities Key Stages 1 & 2 Painting Think about the icy landscapes in the film. Try to remember the ways in which the watery surfaces reflected light and colour from the sun and sky to create a cool but still colourful landscape. Have a go at painting you own icy environment using bold colours diluted with lots of white to give a softer reflective feel. Think carefully about which colours look and feel cold. Model making Collect junk from around your classroom to create a model of one of the scenes from the film. Think carefully about the things you use, can you make it entirely from things that would ordinarily be thrown in the bin? Music Think about the scene towards the end of the film when Mani and Ellie are trapped underwater. You may not remember it but dramatic music accompanied this scene to create a sense of high tensions. Use instruments to create your own dramatic music to capture the sounds of a huge flood and the feelings of those caught up in the event. Perform your piece to the rest of the class. Next try creating music to describe a different part of the film, can you classmates guess which scene you have chosen?

8 Word Search a g h e t r a r m a d i l l o p l r e i a o p l m u s s o p o t h s j o l d a f r s a v z o p q r t v v n i r m b h v e d a s l o t h u y u n t r e l s n j d e v c s u o c b e l k h u v a s a r t o m a m m o t h p t t l j a i d r e s x u p r i q b h n u i o d e p k i c a f y h p k e a t j r l m k b w x p r e t q z h l p y k e e r n t a s w l b k s m i l o d o n i g r u h t b a Find the names of these different animal species that appear in the film in this word search Mammoth Beaver Armadillo Vulture Piranha Aardvark Elk Sloth Hawk Opossum Smilodon (also known as a Sabre-toothed tiger)