Ice Age is a computer-animated franchise created by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the studio behind movies like Deadpool. The films focus on the adventures of Manny the Woolly Mammoth, Diego the Saber-Toothed Tiger, and Sid the Sloth as they survive the Paleolithic Ice Age.
The franchise has become so popular that it has gained multiple sequels and shorts. If you haven’t watched the Ice Age movies yet, or if you want to watch them again in order, here’s a guide on how to do so.
Ice Age Movies by Release Date
- Ice Age (2002)
- Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
- Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
- Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
- The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022)
Ice Age Shorts by Release Date
- Gone Nutty (2002)
- No Time for Nuts (2006)
- Surviving Sid (2008)
- Scrat’s Continental Crack-Up (2010)
- Scrat’s Continental Crack-Up: Part 2 (2011)
- Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe (2015)
- Scrat: Spaced Out (2016)
- The Last Adventure of Scrat (2022)
How to Watch the Ice Age Movies and Short Films in Chronological order
Ice Age (2002)
The first Ice Age movie was released in 2002 and introduces us to a group of animals, led by Manny the mammoth, as they try to return a human baby to its father. Diego the saber-toothed tiger and Sid the sloth are also part of this group, and Scrat, a squirrel who’s constantly trying to catch an acorn, is featured in a number of short films that play before the actual movie.
Gone Nutty (2002)
The first Ice Age film was followed by a short film called Gone Nutty. The movie is set during the events of the first film, with Scrat going nuts over his acorn addiction and causing trouble for Manny and the rest of the gang.
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
In the second full-length movie, Ice Age: The Meltdown, the ice age is coming to an end and the planet is warming up. The animals must leave their homes and find a new place to live before it’s too late. It still features Scrat’s never-ending quest for acorns, as well as the love story between Manny the mammoth and Ellie the sloth.
No Time for Nuts (2006)
The second short film in the Ice Age franchise, No Time for Nuts was released in 2006. The story follows the time-traveling squirrel Scrat as he accidentally freezes himself and is thawed out by Manny, Diego, and Sid.
Surviving Sid (2008)
This short film tells Sid’s story of how he survived being left behind by his herd at the end of Ice Age: The Meltdown. It focuses on his interactions with the other animals he meets while trying to find his way back home.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the third installment in the Ice Age movie series and the direct sequel to Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006). In the film, Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world.
Scrat’s Continental Crack-Up (2010)
This short film is set before the events of Ice Age: Continental Drift. It features Scrat’s efforts to stop the continents from splitting apart by sticking his acorn into a huge crack in the earth.
Scrat’s Continental Crack-Up: Part 2 (2011)
This is a continuation of “Continental Crack-Up” from 2010. In this short, Scrat tries to bury his acorn but ends up causing the continental plates to separate, leading into the events of the next full-length movie in the franchise.
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
In this movie, Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a makeshift ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they try to return home.
Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe (2015)
Here, we see Scrat’s never-ending pursuit of an acorn has unintentionally set off a series of cosmic events that threaten the Ice Age world. Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters as they go.
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
Ice Age: Collision Course is the fifth installment in the Ice Age movie franchise and a direct sequel to 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift. The movie begins with Scrat, still trying to capture his elusive acorn, causing an asteroid to hit Earth and send the continents adrift.
Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd encounter a group of sea creatures called “pirates” who are led by Captain Gutt. After defeating Gutt and his pirates, Manny becomes separated from Ellie and Peaches during a volcanic eruption caused by the asteroid.
Scrat: Spaced Out (2016)
Scrat: Spaced Out follows Scrat, who accidentally launches himself into space, where he ends up on an alien planet. His adventures then lead him back to Earth, where he reunites with his friends.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022)
This spin-off film is centered on Buck’s adventure in the Lost World full of dinosaurs with Crash and Eddie. It started with an avalanche that destroyed their summer habitat. As such, the three animals’ journey to find a new place to call home. Along the way, they encounter many different dinosaurs and other animals, some of which become friends while others turn out to be enemies.
The Last Adventure of Scrat (The End) (2022)
The End is a 35-second short film that the Blue Sky Studios animators released to bid goodbye to the franchise. It shows Scrat finally getting to enjoy his much-anticipated acorn.
The Ice Age movies are a fun, family-friendly franchise that’s perfect for a movie marathon. We hope this list of the Ice Age movies in order helps you keep track of the films!
