Ice Age 6 has been delayed from its original 2026 release date, but with its new release date comes a new title and plot synopsis. The Ice Age franchise began back in March 2002 with the release of the original film, which went on to become a box office smash hit and was nominated for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards. The franchise spawned four theatrical sequels, a Disney+ spin-off film, and a series of shorts. The series' legacy lives on to this day, as the film series has surprisingly been featured prominently in FX's Alien: Earth.
Walt Disney Studios' X account revealed that Ice Age 6 will be titled Ice Age: Boiling Point. The film will now be released on February 5, 2027, pushed back two months from its original December 18, 2026, release date. The film's plot synopsis says that "the newest adventure takes the herd to visit never-before-seen corners of the treacherous Lost World!" likely implying a return to the dinosaur dominion of Buck Wild, as Simon Pegg is set to reprise his role. Returning cast members include Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Queen Latifah.
'Ice Age's Long-Awaited Return
The delay of Ice Age: Boiling Point is not at all surprising. Many expected Ice Age: Boiling Point to move when Disney delayed Avengers: Doomsday to December 18, 2026. With Ice Age: Boiling Point now being a Disney film, it seemed impossible that Disney would release two films on the same day. Avengers: Doomsday's release shuffle has already seen Shrek 5 pushed from December 2026 to July 2027. Now all eyes are on Dune: Part Three to see if it will go head-to-head with Avengers: Doomsday or if it will also move its release date.
The Ice Age franchise is in an interesting place. This will mark the first theatrical film in the franchise since 2016's Ice Age: Collision Course, which became the first film in the franchise to underperform at the box office. In 2022, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild debuted on Disney+ and marked the first time Blue Sky Studios had not worked on an Ice Age title. Disney shut down Blue Sky Studios on April 10, 2021, and their last project was the Disney+ short series, Ice Age: Scrat Tales, which debuted on April 13, 2022. 20th Century Animation will be the animation studio behind Ice Age: Boiling Point.
Ice Age: Boiling Point is so far the only film dated for Feb. 5, 2027, but the calendar is starting to fill up fast with big titles. It will be opening one week after The Angry Birds Movie 3, with both animated titles competing for family audiences ahead of the Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend. Ice Age: Boiling Point might have the upper hand, as by the time the movie hits theaters, it will have been 25 years since the first movie hit theaters, and a generation of audiences who saw the original will be old enough to have families of their own and nostalgic for those films.
Ice Age
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