Physical media isn't dead. Honestly, if you look at the sales charts for family films, you'll see a weird trend: parents still buy discs. The Ice Age Collision DVD is a perfect example of this staying power. Even though Disney+ exists and 20th Century Fox is now a piece of a much larger corporate puzzle, Scrat and his elusive acorn still find their way into living rooms via a spinning piece of plastic. It's kinda fascinating. While Ice Age: Collision Course wasn't exactly a darling for critics—sitting at a rough 18% on Rotten Tomatoes—it performed a specific job. It entertained kids. It kept them occupied for 94 minutes. And for a lot of families, owning that on a physical format is just easier than dealing with buffering or subscription price hikes.
Blue Sky Studios is gone now. That’s the real tragedy behind this fifth installment. When Disney bought Fox, they shuttered the Greenwich, Connecticut studio that built this franchise from the ground up. So, when you pop in that Ice Age Collision DVD, you're actually looking at one of the final breaths of an animation powerhouse that once competed directly with Pixar and DreamWorks. It's a legacy piece, even if it's the one where they went to space.
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What You Actually Get on the Ice Age Collision DVD
Let's talk about the disc itself. Most people think a DVD is just the movie, but the 2016 release of Collision Course actually packed in a surprising amount of Scrat-centric content. You've got "Scrat: Spaced Out," which is basically a mini-movie that bridges the gap between the chaotic opening and the rest of the plot.
It's short. It's slapstick. It’s classic Blue Sky.
There's also this "Ice Age: The Story So Far" featurette. It’s a nostalgia trip. If you haven't watched the original 2002 film in a decade, this recap feels like a fever dream because the franchise evolved from a grounded, moody story about a lost human baby into a high-octane sci-fi comedy with magnetic asteroids and a "Geotopia" ruled by a llama voiced by Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
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The DVD also includes a "Figaro" sing-along. Why? Because the movie leans heavily into its musical cues. Buck, the one-eyed weasel played by Simon Pegg, carries a lot of the comedic weight here. Pegg’s performance is frenetic. He’s arguably the best part of the later sequels, bringing a level of British eccentricism that the series desperately needed by the time they hit the fifth movie. If you're buying the Ice Age Collision DVD for a kid, they're probably going to loop Buck’s scenes until you can recite the lines in your sleep. That’s just the reality of parenting.
The Technical Reality of 480p in a 4K World
Standard definition is a tough sell in 2026. Let's be real. If you play a DVD on a 75-inch OLED, it’s going to look a bit fuzzy. It’s 480p. The colors are muted compared to the Blu-ray or the 4K Ultra HD versions. However, for a lot of people, this doesn't matter.
Why?
Portable DVD players. Old minivans. Grandparents' houses. These are the places where the Ice Age Collision DVD thrives. It’s a "set it and forget it" piece of tech. You don't need a Wi-Fi password. You don't need to worry about the "Are you still watching?" prompt. You just slide the disc in and the movie plays. In a world where digital ownership is increasingly fragile—where movies disappear from your "purchased" library because of licensing disputes—having the physical disc feels like a small act of rebellion. You own it. Forever. Or at least until the disc gets too many peanut butter fingerprints on it to spin.
Why This Specific Sequel Divided Fans
Ice Age: Collision Course took the "jumping the shark" trope and replaced the shark with an asteroid. The plot is wild. Scrat accidentally triggers a series of cosmic events that threaten Earth. Manny, Sid, and Diego have to deal with Julian (Peaches’ fiancé), the aforementioned Geotopia, and the threat of extinction. Again.
- It’s the highest-numbered entry in the theatrical series.
- It features the return of Adam DeVine and Max Greenfield.
- It shifted the focus heavily toward the younger characters.
Some fans hated the shift toward pure sci-fi. They missed the icy, desolate feel of the first film. But younger audiences? They loved the bright colors. The Geotopia sequences are a psychedelic explosion of purples and pinks. On the Ice Age Collision DVD, those colors still pop, even without the HDR found on higher-end formats. The film is a visual feast, even if the narrative is a bit thin. It’s about the gags. It’s about the physical comedy of a sloth falling off a cliff for the hundredth time.
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Collectibility and the Aftermarket
You can still find these discs everywhere. Check a thrift store or a used media shop like 2nd & Charles or even a random Walmart bin. They’re cheap. Usually under five dollars. This low price point is why the Ice Age Collision DVD remains a staple of the secondary market.
Collectors of Blue Sky Studios' work often seek out the physical copies because they contain the production credits and "making of" shorts that aren't always available on streaming platforms. "Mystery of the Scratazons" is another little gem you might find in the bonus menus depending on the region of your disc. These bits of animation history are important. They show the transition from traditional CGI techniques to the more complex lighting systems used toward the end of the studio's life.
The "Scrat" Factor
We have to talk about Scrat. He is the Mickey Mouse of this franchise. In Collision Course, he is the catalyst for everything. His presence on the DVD cover is a major selling point. Interestingly, there was a long legal battle over the character of Scrat between Fox/Disney and creator Ivy Silberstein. For a while, people thought Scrat might be scrubbed from future projects entirely. Knowing that, owning the Ice Age Collision DVD feels like holding onto a specific era of animation history where a silent, acorn-obsessed squirrel was one of the biggest stars in the world.
Maximizing Your Viewing Experience
If you’re actually going to sit down and watch this, do yourself a favor. Adjust your TV settings. Turn off "motion smoothing" or whatever "soap opera effect" your TV has enabled. It makes the animation look cheap. Let the frames breathe. Even on a DVD, the character designs for the "Airstrikes" (the dromaeosaur villains) are pretty sharp. They have a feathered look that was actually quite progressive for the time, reflecting more modern paleontological findings than the previous films did.
Also, check the audio settings. The Ice Age Collision DVD usually defaults to a standard 5.1 Dolby Digital track. If you have a decent soundbar or a surround system, it actually holds up. The asteroid crashes and the electrical storms in the film have some decent low-end bass that will give your subwoofer a workout.
What to Look for When Buying Used
- Check for the "Slipcover": The original release came with a shiny cardboard sleeve. If you’re a collector, the movie is worth slightly more with that intact.
- Verify the Region: Most DVDs in the US are Region 1. If you're buying online, make sure you don't accidentally get a Region 2 (Europe/UK) disc unless you have a region-free player.
- Surface Scratches: These discs were made for kids. They get beat up. Hold the disc up to a light; if you see light shining through small pinpricks or deep circular scratches, it’s going to skip.
Actionable Insights for the Physical Media Fan
If you’re looking to add the Ice Age Collision DVD to your collection or just want to watch it with the family, here is how to handle it in 2026.
First, don't pay more than $7. It’s a common disc. If you see it at a "vintage" price, walk away. Second, use a dedicated DVD or Blu-ray player rather than a game console if you want the quietest operation; older PlayStations can get loud when spinning DVDs. Finally, take a second to watch the "Gallery" features if your version has them. The concept art for the Geotopia crystals is genuinely beautiful and shows the work of artists who lost their jobs when the studio closed.
Owning the disc is more than just having a movie; it’s about preserving a piece of an era where big-budget animation wasn't just a "content play" for a streaming service. It was an event. And even if Collision Course was a bit chaotic, it was a part of that big, icy legacy. Clean the disc with a microfiber cloth, keep it in the case, and it’ll probably outlast your favorite streaming app.