The Ice Age franchise spans multiple blockbuster films, holiday specials, and short features, introducing dozens of prehistoric animals over more than two decades of animated storytelling. At its core, the series follows an unlikely herd of migrating mammals navigating a changing world, driven by loyalty, humor, and survival. Understanding who these characters are and how they fit into the broader narrative clarifies why this animated universe remains a pop culture staple.
The primary cast centers around Manfred, Sid, and Diego—three completely different species forced together by circumstance who ultimately form a lifelong pack. Alongside them are secondary figures like Ellie, Crash, Eddie, and Scrat, whose individual quirks and subplots anchor the comedy and emotional stakes across the five main theatrical installments.
The Core Herd
Manfred (Manny)
Voiced by Ray Romano, Manny is a stoic, protective woolly mammoth with a tragic backstory that defines his initial grumpy exterior. As the self-appointed leader of the herd, Manny evolves from a bitter loner into a deeply devoted partner and father. His protective nature is tested as the world around him warms up and expands, forcing him to accept new members into his family structure.
Sid the Sloth
Voiced by John Leguizamo, Sid is a talkative, clumsy ground sloth whose good intentions are frequently overshadowed by his lack of common sense and personal hygiene. Despite frustrating the rest of the group, Sid acts as the emotional glue of the herd. His warm heart and accidental wisdom pull them through crises, whether he's adopting a trio of dinosaur eggs or stumbling into lost underground civilizations.
Diego
Voiced by Denis Leary, Diego is a cunning saber-toothed tiger (Smilodon) who starts the first film as an antagonist working for Soto's pack before defecting to save Roshan. Diego brings tactical agility, sharp wit, and dry humor to the group. Over time, he sheds his fierce predator persona to become a fiercely loyal protector, particularly of the younger herd members.
Scrat
Voiced by co-director Chris Wedge, Scrat is a saber-toothed squirrel whose relentless, cartoonish pursuit of an elusive acorn single-handedly triggers global cataclysms. Operating in a standalone slapstick narrative parallel to the main plot, Scrat's physical comedy pays homage to classic animation shorts while directly driving the tectonic shifts of the franchise.
Expanding the Herd
Ellie
Voiced by Queen Latifah, Ellie is a female woolly mammoth introduced in Ice Age: The Meltdown. Raised by a family of opossums after being orphaned, Ellie initially believes she is a marsupial. Once she accepts her true identity, she becomes Manny's mate, bringing warmth, emotional grounding, and fierce maternal strength to the herd.
Crash and Eddie
Voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck, Crash and Eddie are twin opossum brothers who treat life as one continuous extreme sport. Raised alongside Ellie, they provide high-energy chaos, reckless stunts, and sibling banter. Their loyalty to their adoptive sister and the broader herd never wavers, even in the face of underground dinosaurs or continental drift.
Peaches
Introduced as a newborn and voiced as a teenager by Keke Palmer, Peaches is Manny and Ellie's daughter. Her character arc explores the friction of growing up in a shrinking prehistoric world, dealing with protective parents, teenage independence, and finding her own place within the herd and her community.
Supporting and Antagonistic Figures
Buck
Voiced by Simon Pegg, Buck is a one-eyed, daredevil weasel living in the dinosaur underworld. Driven slightly mad by his underground adventures, Buck operates like an eccentric survivalist hero, guiding the herd through subterranean perils with unmatched tactical flair and theatrical charm.
Shira
Voiced by Jennifer Lopez, Shira is a sleek saber-toothed tiger who starts as a member of Captain Gutt's pirate crew in Continental Drift. After interacting with Diego, she questions her loyalty to the pirates, eventually defecting to join the herd and becoming Diego's mate.
Granny
Voiced by Wanda Sykes, Granny is Sid's sharp-tongued, cynical grandmother who is abandoned by her family and subsequently adopted by the herd. Despite her frail appearance and constant complaining, she proves surprisingly resilient and resourceful during high-stakes adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What species is Scrat?
Scrat is a fictional hybrid creature known as a saber-toothed squirrel. While inspired by real prehistoric mammals discovered in the fossil record, his specific anatomical design was created purely for comedic animation.
Are Manny and Ellie the last mammoths?
No. While they believe they are the last of their kind for a portion of the series, they later encounter other woolly mammoths, most notably in Ice Age: Continental Drift, which expands the broader population of their species.
Which movie introduces Buck?
Buck makes his debut in the third installment of the franchise, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, when the herd descends into a tropical subterranean world populated by surviving dinosaurs.
How many main Ice Age movies are there?
The core theatrical franchise consists of five feature-length films: Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), and Ice Age: Collision Course (2016), alongside spin-offs like The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.
For more background on the animation studio behind these films, visit Blue Sky Studios. To explore broader cinema history, check out Rotten Tomatoes.
