REVIEW: Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe [2015]

Score: 4/10 | ★ ½


Rating: G | Runtime: 5 minutes | Release Date: November 6th, 2015 (USA)
Studio: Blue Sky Studios / 20th Century Fox
Director(s): Mike Thurmeier

“Make a wish”

It’s amazing that the Ice Age series is still going on let alone the solitary adventures of little Scrat and his acorn. The studio may be just as surprised too since they’ve had to relegate their latest short to UFO conspiracies. Yes, Mike Thurmeier’s Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe sees everyone’s favorite pre-historic squirrel shoving his delicious prize into the yolk of an alien spacecraft frozen within an iceberg. Attempts to free it allow the entire vehicle to escape through our atmosphere and ultimately form our solar system by happenstance.

If the idea that Scrat now has to go into space like Jason Voorhees after his well ran dry wasn’t enough to get me rolling my eyes it was the prospect that Earth was floating alone until a mute, manic furball wreaked havoc. I get that the whole premise is supposed to be cute a la “Merrie Melodies” with the planets set up as though formed by a pool triangle before the UFO acts as cue ball, but Bugs and company would play the gag as an absurd curio before coming back to the main story rather than have it be the story.

Shenanigans ensue: Jupiter earns its spot, Saturn its rings, and the asteroids existence courtesy of two unnamed spheres crash into pieces. The worst part, however, is that it (spoiler alert) culminates in a giant rock being thrown onto a Collision Course with Earth. Let’s just say it’s not a coincidence that the forthcoming fifth Ice Age film is subtitled exactly that. So the reality of this short becomes the unfortunate realization that after watching ten minutes of trailers we’ve been given one more five-minute tease. While it may make monetary sense, it delivers nothing of the creative persuasion.

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