Ice Age Movies Ranked: Best to Worst

I rank the six Ice Age films by how well the friendships hold the story together, then by how funny the set pieces are, and last by how audiences responded at the box office. This is my opinion, so if you rate Dawn of the Dinosaurs above The Meltdown, you have a perfectly good case. The list covers the five theatrical films in the main saga plus the Disney+ spinoff, and it is written for the parent choosing tonight's film as much as the adult who grew up on Manny, Sid and Diego.

What makes an Ice Age movie work? In my view it is the trio at the center. When Manny, Sid and Diego are bickering over a small problem, the films are at their best, and when the plot grows into continents and asteroids, the herd can get lost in the noise. Box office is a secondary guide, because a film can earn a fortune and still feel thinner than a smaller one. For the full numbers, see the ice age box office page. All six films carry a PG rating in the US.

Ice Age (2002), directed by Chris Wedge, is my number one because it tells the cleanest version of the story the series keeps returning to: odd companions, one baby and a long walk. The setup puts Diego, the sabertooth sent to snatch the chief's baby, on the same road as Manny and Sid, who just want to return him, and that tension drives every scene. At 81 minutes it is the shortest of the five theatrical films, and it earned about $383 million worldwide on a $59 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. David Newman's score and the Rusted Root song Send Me on My Way give it a sound the sequels never quite repeated.

Ice Age: The Meltdown, directed by Carlos Saldanha, is the funniest film in the series, in my opinion. A valley full of water slides turns out to sit behind an ice wall that is really a dam, a vulture delivers the warning with great relish, and the herd has about three days to reach a boat at the far end. Manny's fear that he may be the last mammoth gives the comedy a real ache underneath. The film made about $667 million worldwide on an $80 million budget, and Jay Leno's Fast Tony is a small joke that still lands.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, also directed by Saldanha, is the series' biggest earner at about $887 million worldwide on a $90 million budget, so it was a hit by any measure. Sid taking three large eggs for his own children is the most heartfelt idea in the saga, and Manny preparing to be a father gives the herd a real emotional clock. Simon Pegg joined as Buck, a voice that has stayed with the series ever since. It sits third because the hidden world under the ice, at 94 minutes, is crowded, and Diego's restlessness gets less room than it deserves.

Ice Age: Continental Drift, directed by Michael Thurmeier and Steve Martino, earned about $877 million worldwide on a $95 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. Its heart is Manny and his teenage daughter Peaches clashing over her new friends, and that argument is the most relatable part of the film. Once Manny, Sid, Diego and Granny drift out to sea on a chunk of ice, Peter Dinklage's Captain Gutt and Jennifer Lopez's Shira bring energy, and Master of the Seas is a fun song. It ranks fourth because the adventure is busier than the family story deserves.

Ice Age: Collision Course, directed by Thurmeier, is the weakest of the five theatrical films. Scrat's acorn chase triggers asteroids, Peaches gets engaged to Julian, and the herd takes shelter in a cave while Buck finds a stone tablet that predicts the next impact. In my opinion the cosmic stakes crowd out the relationships, and the crowded ensemble leaves little time for any one of them. It earned about $402 million worldwide on a $105 million budget and only $64 million domestically, according to The Numbers. Box Office Mojo's figures for this film differ because they include a 2020 re-release, so comparisons with the other films, whose figures come from Box Office Mojo, are approximate.

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, directed by John Donkin, is a Disney+ original and a spinoff, so it has no theatrical gross to compare. At 82 minutes, it follows Crash and Eddie into the Lost World after an avalanche wrecks the herd's summer home, with Buck rescuing them from raptors. Pegg is the only voice from the main cast listed, and Manny, Sid, Diego and Ellie are voiced by new actors. It is a pleasant, small scale watch for young viewers, and it ranks sixth because the trio that makes the saga special is largely absent.

Ice Age: Boiling Point is listed for a US release on February 5, 2027, after moving from December 2026, according to TheWrap. It is still in production, so it is unranked, and I will revisit this list once it is released.

If you are choosing tonight's film, start with Ice Age (2002) and The Meltdown, then follow the ice age movies in order page for the rest. In the US, all six films stream on Disney+, and the where to watch ice age page has the details for the US, UK and Australia.