7. Ice Age
Why it was good: 2002’s Ice Age started things off on a high point for Fox’s fledging animation division Blue Sky Studios – frankly, a relative “high” it has never been able to match. Though Ice Age never aimed to be anything more than kid-friendly entertainment, it countered its lack of ambition was some hilarious slapstick, likeable characters with great voice actors and made Scrat the squirrel an instant favourite.
The turning point: As far as animation houses go, Blue Sky has never been a heavy hitter at yearly animation awards, but what it lacks in claims to prestige fare, it has made up for in box office returns. Hence, three sequels were spawned which hit its apogee with Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which raked in an astonishing $886.7 million. And within that title lies the argument for termination. When we’re talking about the latest glacial period (roughly 20,000 years ago) and you need to throw dinosaurs into the mix to keep things fresh, it’s pretty clear the creative DNA of the series is deteriorating.
Why it needs to die: For a less-then-stellar series to begin with, to stretch past a trilogy is pretty substantive proof of the creative bankruptcy of Hollywood. The inspiration for the characters may be extinct but their on-screen counterparts just won’t die. If you can honestly say, with a straight face, that woolly mammoths and sabre tooth tigers battling giant apes on ice pirate ships is a substantive enough plot to keep this series going, then I will retract my dissent.