Ice Age: Scrat Tales
{{Short description|American animated television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Ice Age Scrat Tales Poster.jpg
| image_size =
| based_on = {{based on|Characters|Michael J. Wilson}}
| director = Donnie Long
| voices = {{Plainlist|
}}
| theme_music_composer = John Powell
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
}}
| editor = {{Plainlist|
- Harry Hitner
- Tim Nordquist
- James Palumbo
}}
| runtime = 4 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
- Blue Sky Studios
- 20th Century Animation{{efn|Unlike most Blue Sky Studios productions, 20th Century Animation went uncredited for their involvement in the series.}}
}}
| network = Disney+
| first_aired = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
}}
Ice Age: Scrat Tales is an American animated series of shorts produced by Blue Sky Studios, which premiered on Disney+ on April 13, 2022. It is a spin-off of the Ice Age franchise and the first series of shorts in the franchise. The series focuses on Scrat, a saber-toothed squirrel who discovers that he has a son. It received generally positive reviews from critics with praise for its animation, humor, music, and light-hearted tone, with critics and audiences alike also considering it as a good sendoff to the studio.
Cast
{{Main|List of Ice Age characters}}
- Chris Wedge as Scrat{{cite web|last=Calimbahin|first=Samantha|url=https://screenrant.com/ice-age-scrat-tales-poster-baby-disney-plus/|title=Scrat's Baby Revealed In Disney+ Ice Age Short Poster (They're Adorable)|publisher=Screen Rant|date=February 23, 2022|access-date=February 26, 2022|archive-date=February 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223150638/https://screenrant.com/ice-age-scrat-tales-poster-baby-disney-plus/|url-status=live}}
- Kari Wahlgren as Baby Scrat
Production
=Development=
On February 22, 2022, which would have been Blue Sky Studios's 35th anniversary, the series was officially announced, with a release date of April 13, 2022. A teaser poster, the cast and crew, and promotional stills were also revealed and provided in press reports.{{cite web|last=Burlingame|first=Russ|url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/ice-age-scrat-tales-poster-released-by-disney/|title=Ice Age: Scrat Tales Poster Released by Disney+|publisher=ComicBook.com|date=February 22, 2022|access-date=February 22, 2022|archive-date=February 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222230951/https://comicbook.com/anime/news/ice-age-scrat-tales-poster-released-by-disney/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=King|first=Aidan|url=https://collider.com/ice-age-scrat-tales-tv-series-poster-images-disney-plus/|title='Ice Age: Scrat Tales' Reveals Scrat's Adorable Companion in New Poster for the Disney+ Series|publisher=Collider|date=February 22, 2022|access-date=February 22, 2022|archive-date=February 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222231410/https://collider.com/ice-age-scrat-tales-tv-series-poster-images-disney-plus/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Milligan|first=Mercedes|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/ice-age-lives-on-with-scrat-tales-shorts-on-disney/|title='Ice Age' Lives on with 'Scrat Tales' Shorts on Disney+|publisher=Animation Magazine|date=February 22, 2022|access-date=February 22, 2022|archive-date=February 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222233557/https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/ice-age-lives-on-with-scrat-tales-shorts-on-disney/|url-status=live}}
=Animation=
Unlike most Blue Sky Studios projects which use the studio's in-house software CGI Studio, the series was produced using Pixar RenderMan, becoming the first and only confirmed Blue Sky Studios production to utilize the software, as CGI Studio was being phased out in favor of RenderMan. In an interview, Michael Knapp added that as a result, they had to remodel Scrat by re-furring, re-materializing and re-rigging the character.{{cite web|last=Bennett|first=Tara|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/scrat-tales-blue-sky-studios-oral-history/|title=An Oral History of Scrat Tales: The Death and Legacy of Blue Sky Studios|publisher=Paste|date=April 13, 2022|access-date=April 13, 2022|archive-date=April 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415054008/https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/scrat-tales-blue-sky-studios-oral-history/|url-status=live}} Production was also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing animators to work remotely. Knapp also went on to state that they were aware of The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild being produced without the involvement of the studio around the same time production on the series occurred.
=Music=
Batu Sener composed the musical score, with John Powell composing the end titles; Sener was also a composer on the Ice Age film The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022), while Powell composed the Ice Age films The Meltdown (2006), Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), and Continental Drift (2012). The soundtrack was released on March 25, 2022, by Hollywood Records.{{Cite web |date=March 22, 2022 |title='Ice Age: Scrat Tales' Soundtrack Album Details |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/03/22/ice-age-scrat-tales-soundtrack-album-details/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325001435/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/03/22/ice-age-scrat-tales-soundtrack-album-details/ |archive-date= March 25, 2022 |website=Film Music Reporter}}
Release
The series was released as a Disney+ original series on April 13, 2022.{{Cite web|last=Sarto|first=Debbie|title=Disney+ Drops 'Ice Age: Scrat Tales' Trailer|url=https://www.awn.com/news/disney-drops-ice-age-scrat-tales-trailer|publisher=Animation World Network|date=March 29, 2022|access-date=March 29, 2022|archive-date=March 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329164904/https://www.awn.com/news/disney-drops-ice-age-scrat-tales-trailer|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Cavanaugh|first=Patrick|title=Ice Age: Scrat Tales Trailer Released by Disney+|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/ice-age-scrat-shorts-trailer-disney-plus-streaming/|publisher=ComicBook.com|date=March 29, 2022|access-date=March 30, 2022|archive-date=March 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330000615/https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/ice-age-scrat-shorts-trailer-disney-plus-streaming/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Seibold|first=Witney|title=Ice Age: Scrat Tales Trailer: Back In His Parent's Hands|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/814896/ice-age-scrat-tales-trailer-back-in-his-parents-hands/|publisher=/Film|date=March 29, 2022|access-date=March 30, 2022|archive-date=March 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330004910/https://www.slashfilm.com/814896/ice-age-scrat-tales-trailer-back-in-his-parents-hands/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Remley|first=Hilary|title='Ice Age: Scrat Tales' Trailer Teases a Series of Hilarious and Heartwarming Shorts|url=https://collider.com/ice-age-scrat-tales-trailer-chris-wedge-kari-wahlgren/|publisher=Collider|date=March 29, 2022|access-date=March 30, 2022|archive-date=March 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330011035/https://collider.com/ice-age-scrat-tales-trailer-chris-wedge-kari-wahlgren/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Milligan|first=Mercedes|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/trailer-ice-age-scrat-tales-shorts-go-nutty-on-disney-april-13/|title='Ice Age: Scrat Tales' Shorts Go Nutty on Disney+ April 13|publisher=Animation Magazine|date=March 29, 2022|access-date=March 31, 2022|archive-date=March 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331162245/https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/trailer-ice-age-scrat-tales-shorts-go-nutty-on-disney-april-13/|url-status=live}}
The series was the final production from Blue Sky Studios to be released by 20th Century Studios following the studio's closure on April 10, 2021, and the only television series produced by Blue Sky Studios.
="The End"=
On April 13, the same release date that had been announced for the series, an unlisted video, simply titled The End, was uploaded by a former Blue Sky Studios employee onto YouTube, whose account went under the name Finale. The short, which was separate from the series, ended the infamous running gag by featuring Scrat finally achieving his dream of eating an acorn with no catches, and then scurrying off screen, presumably to find adventure elsewhere. The short was allegedly the final piece of animation made by Blue Sky Studios before their closure in 2021, made by a small team of animators to serve as "a send off on their own terms." The scene quickly went viral on the Internet which led to widespread coverage from major news sites, as they had reported that it finally left closure to Scrat's 20-year on-screen battle, in which he ultimately accomplished his goal.{{cite web|last=Shirey|first=Paul|title=Scrat Finally Gets The Acorn In Last-Ever Short From Ice Age Studio|url=https://screenrant.com/ice-age-scrat-acorn-final-short-studio-video/|publisher=Screen Rant|date=April 13, 2022|access-date=April 16, 2022|archive-date=April 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416111010/https://screenrant.com/ice-age-scrat-acorn-final-short-studio-video/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Blue Sky Studios has closed its doors but Ice Age's Scrat finally got his acorn!|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/61106979|publisher=BBC Newsround|date=April 14, 2022|access-date=April 16, 2022|archive-date=August 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816184723/https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/61106979|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Motamayor|first=Rafael|title=Ice Age Character Scrat Finally Gets His Acorn As Blue Sky Studios Says Goodbye|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/832905/ice-age-character-scrat-finally-gets-his-acorn-as-blue-sky-studios-says-goodbye/|publisher=/Film|date=April 14, 2022|access-date=April 17, 2022|archive-date=April 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417185645/https://www.slashfilm.com/832905/ice-age-character-scrat-finally-gets-his-acorn-as-blue-sky-studios-says-goodbye/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Oddo|first=Marco|title='Ice Age': Blue Sky Studio Let Scrat Get His Acorn in Farewell Short Film|url=https://collider.com/ice-age-short-film-blue-sky-studio-scrat-the-squirrel/|publisher=Collider|date=April 14, 2022|access-date=April 17, 2022|archive-date=April 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417184703/https://collider.com/ice-age-short-film-blue-sky-studio-scrat-the-squirrel/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Alter|first=Rebecca|title=Scrat Got Nut! Scrat Got Nut!|url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/ice-age-squirrel-scrat-gets-acorn-blue-sky.html|publisher=Vulture|date=April 14, 2022|access-date=April 16, 2022|archive-date=April 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416152337/https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/ice-age-squirrel-scrat-gets-acorn-blue-sky.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Bashforth|first=Emily|title=Ice Age's Scrat finally gets his acorn before animation studio shuts down and fans can't stop crying|url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/14/ice-ages-scrat-finally-gets-his-acorn-before-animation-studio-closes-16471399/|publisher=Metro|date=April 14, 2022|access-date=April 16, 2022|archive-date=April 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416222433/https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/14/ice-ages-scrat-finally-gets-his-acorn-before-animation-studio-closes-16471399/|url-status=live}}
Episodes
Every short is directed by Donnie Long, but co-directors are credited alongside him.
{{Episode table |background=#1AAFC1 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |directorT=Co-directed by |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = Nuts About You
|DirectedBy = Michael Berardini
|WrittenBy = Michael Berardini
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
|ShortSummary = While searching for the acorn, Scrat comes across Baby Scrat, and decides to raise him on his own, but things quickly begin to go downhill when Baby Scrat sees the acorn for the first time.
|LineColor = 1aafc1
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = LoFi Scrat Beats to Sleep/Chill to
|DirectedBy = Matt Munn
|WrittenBy = Donnie Long
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
|ShortSummary = Scrat tries to retrieve his acorn from a sleeping Baby Scrat, but is forced to do double work in trying to take back the acorn and put Baby Scrat back to sleep, as his loud tantrum will start an avalanche that will crush them both, even if that means having to use whatever Baby Scrat throws at him.
|LineColor = 1aafc1
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = X’s and Uh-O’s
|DirectedBy = Drew Winey
|WrittenBy = James Young Jackson & Drew Winey
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
|ShortSummary = Scrat tries to teach Baby Scrat how to plant the acorn, which is actually a trap meant to capture him, but things go awry when the plan ends up backfiring.
|LineColor = 1aafc1
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = Nutty Reflections
|DirectedBy = Eric Prah
|WrittenBy = Galen Tan Chu
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
|ShortSummary = During their battle over the acorn, Scrat and Baby Scrat both discover a surprising secret about reflections when they come to life when no one looks at them.
|LineColor = 1aafc1
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| Title = Teeter Toddler
| DirectedBy = Jeff Gabor
| WrittenBy = Galen Tan Chu
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
| ShortSummary = A baby dodo steals the acorn leaving Scrat and Baby Scrat in a risky balancing act on a log.
| LineColor = 1aafc1|
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| Title = Nut The End
| DirectedBy = Lisa Allen Keane
| WrittenBy = Michael Thurmeier
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|13}}
| ShortSummary = During a battle over the acorn, the acorn seemingly disappears, making them believe they can live together in harmony, but when Scrat becomes old and dies and his soul tries to go to the afterlife, he learns that the acorn vanishing was all but a trick planned by Baby Scrat and returns to his old body to seek revenge.
| LineColor = 1aafc1|
}}
}}
Reception
=Critical response=
Joel Keller of Decider found the series to be entertaining and family friendly, stating, "There are enough funny moments in Ice Age: Scrat Tales to make it worth the pretty brief time commitment, especially if you're watching it with your kids."{{cite web |date=April 13, 2022 |last=Keller |first=Joel |title='Ice Age: Scrat Tales' Disney Plus Review: Stream It Or Skip It? |url=https://decider.com/2022/04/13/ice-age-scrat-tales-disney-plus-review/ |publisher=Decider |access-date=April 13, 2022 |archive-date=April 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413220416/https://decider.com/2022/04/13/ice-age-scrat-tales-disney-plus-review/ |url-status=live }} Polly Conway of Common Sense Media rated the series 3 out of 5 stars, found agreeable the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing compassion and caring across the character of Scrat, and complimented the humor of the series, writing, "Chaotic critter becomes a parent in funny, violent shorts."{{cite web |date=2022 |author=Polly Conway |title=Ice Age: Scrat Tales TV Review |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/ice-age-scrat-tales |website=Common Sense Media |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521014153/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/ice-age-scrat-tales |url-status=live }}
=Awards and nominations=
Batu Sener's score was nominated for the Best Original Score in a TV Show/Limited Series category at the 13th Hollywood Music in Media Awards ceremony in November 2022, but lost to 1883's score by Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian.{{Cite web|publisher=Hollywood Music in Media Awards|title=2022 HMMA Nominations|url=https://www.hmmawards.com/2022-hmma-nominations/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120175938/https://www.hmmawards.com/2022-hmma-nominations/|archive-date=January 20, 2023|access-date=January 20, 2023}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://disneyplusoriginals.disney.com/show/ice-age-scrat-tales}}
- {{Disney+ series|title=Ice Age: Scrat Tales}}
- {{IMDb title|18302114}}
{{Ice Age}}
{{Blue Sky Studios}}
{{20th Century Fox Animation}}
{{Disney+ original ended series}}
Category:2020s American animated television series
Category:2022 American television series debuts
Category:2022 animated television series debuts
Category:2022 American television series endings
Category:American children's animated comedy television series
Category:American computer-animated television series
Category:American animated television spinoffs
Category:Animated television shows based on films
Category:Disney+ original programming
Category:Disney animated television series
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Animated television series about squirrels
Category:Animated television series without speech
Category:Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic