Running head: COMMUNICATION IN ICE AGE (2002) 1

Communication in Ice Age (2001)

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COMMUNICATION IN ICE AGE (2002) 2

Communication in Ice Age (2001)

Communication regardless of being verbal or nonverbal has been and is considered to be

a significant aspect in defining team life among various group members. For instance, it is
through communication that the patterns of personal goals, norms, structure, and team goals that
develop among people are determined. However, this chapter also indicates that not all
communication is positive and this can result in compromise if not addressed earlier. In a bid to
understand the different skills of communication, the chapter is related to a movie Ice Age of
2002, highlighting strategies that people can adopt to improve their ability to communicate
effectively.

Ice Age is an animation released in 2002, which narrates a story of a sloth (Sid), a
mammoth (Manny), and a saber-toothed tiger (Diego) during the beginning of Glaciations. The
three met by coincidence and found a lost human baby whose mother had died trying to save him
from Diego's pride of tigers. Sid suggested that they should return the baby to his father. In the
first place, Manny was not interested in this plan, but Diego's attitude made him to side with the
first as Diego claimed to share Sid's ethical stance. Diego went ahead to suggest that he should
lead the group in the quest to look for the baby’s father. Ideally, during this expedition, the three
characters learned to rely on and trust each other and eventually became friends. Regardless of
all the obstacles and challenges they faced, the baby successfully found his father and the secret
of this success is the element of togetherness they had developed.

The movie as discourse represents mimesis of the quotidian life discourse, a mix of
verbal, and non-verbal elements intended to make credible a made-up story. The
cinematographic discourse is adapted to the situations of communication presented in a movie; it
differs according to the characters involved in the narrative and is tailored to suit the target
audiences. This ideally, indicates that several communication techniques are employed in the
movie. Since communication involves the exchange of information, thoughts, as well as ideas
that result in mutual understanding among people, the movie industry has tried much to connect
with their audiences.

On the other hand, the dialogue between the heroes reflects the situation mentioned in the
previous section of this chapter, more precisely when adults address children using a different
language than they use in everyday communication. The main characters of the movie are Sid,
Manny, Diego, and the child. The child is considered to be a passive character that does not
speak but makes the others speak to him. He also makes them act and speak childishly. Apart
from Sid the sloth who is funny and tiny, the other characters in the movie impersonate adult
animals having an impressive look and being potentially dangerous. All of them turned to be less
menacing in the presence of the baby and they adopted more childish language.

A suitable example of this situation is the dialogue between Manny and Sid when Sid is
talking to the baby but addresses Diego. The communicational intention, in this case, is to
COMMUNICATION IN ICE AGE (2002) 3

express the negative opinion of Sid about Diego in an inoffensive way, as if Sid were talking to
the baby. However, Manny's response is intended to clarify the situation ironically. So, when
they communicate, every character switches from adult-speak to baby-speak based on the
collocutor. Thus, the movie asserts that good communication is a habit and it needs to start
young.

To sum up, effective communication allows people to ask and know whatever they may
require and it can also result in higher self-efficacy. In other words, more effective
communication skills contribute to a higher quality of life; implying that when there is a
challenge in basic communication, there is a barrier to fundamental human needs, which may
lead to emotional problems. Ice Age movie tries to benefit its target audience to practicing good
communication and it ensures that they are equipped with the skills that can help in case of
difficult situations.