An enormous smash at the box office, Ice Age also saw a welcome return to form by David Newman. His cousin has set the standard in writing for animation in recent years and has done such a good job that it is becoming increasingly difficult for other composers to match up. In no other genre is music as important as it is in animation - the scenes tend to be short, a human element is by definition lacking and it is very important that the whole film is tied together successfully. A great story goes a long way to doing that, but not all the way; ultimately that rests with the score. There's a reason why A Bug's Life will be remembered in sixty years the way Sleeping Beauty is today but Antz will not - for a start, you don't need cynicism to make an animated film appeal to adults as well as children - and the other reason is the great music, which contains numerous themes and matches and supports the action all the way.

David Newman has fashioned just as impressive score with Ice Age. Exciting, rambunctious, just about guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, it's his best score for years and clearly one of the best of 2002 to date. Don't let the album's relative brevity put you off - the music is relentlessly fast-paced and crams in so many themes and ideas that by the end of it you'll be more than happy to put it on and listen to it all over again.

It has a consistency and quality of technique not often seen these days, but there are still a few highlights that stand out - the beautiful romantic music in "Humans / Diego", with lovely female choir; the jovial march in "Tigers Going for Baby"; the relentless action of "Baby's Wild Ride". This is a delightful, winning score; a brilliant album. Highly-recommended.

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