Ice Age Psychology

“Ice Age” shows the perfect relationship to Freud's psychoanalytical view of the human mind, being the Id, Ego, and Superego. The movie presents four main characters, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the human infant. The three animals formed a team and banded together to return the human child to its parents. Manny, a mammoth, represents the Superego through his morally-driven actions and efforts towards keeping the child safe. Sid, namely the Id, is a sloth who doesn’t hold back his impulses or desires, similar to the traits of the Ego. Lastly, Diego, a sabre-tooth tiger, symbolizes the Ego through his constant battle between choosing either Manny (Superego) and the other evil tigers (Id). When watching “Ice Age” as a kid, I never noticed the psychology-related

Sid, the sloth lookin’ thing, has the most care-free life out of any character on “Ice Age.” These actions can be seen to represent the Id. Sid is introduced into this movie in a scene where he walks up to two rhino-dinos who appear to be homosexual by the setting. He annoys them by shoving pinecones into their mouths, showcasing Id-like immoral impulses. Sid is later shown trying to carry the human baby in one arm while he climbed up the side of a dangerous waterfall. This scene provides evidence to the Id’s tendency to not think logically. Later in the film, we see an interaction between Manny and Sid during a storm. Sid invades Manny’s privacy, doing as he pleases for his own pleasure. Following the previous scene, Sid takes the baby to the hot tubs to impress some lady sloths. Manny takes the baby back, and Sid pleads “I’m begging you. I need him” showing the Id’s impulsive needs. The movie shows Sid as a perfect portrayal of the Id, even down to the similarly named

Manny, the mammoth in the movie, represents the Superego, as the entirety of the movie plot revolves around Manny’s journey to return the lost human child to his family; no matter the risk. As previously mentioned, the Id, Sid, was being chased by the rhino-dinos. Manny is brought into the scene and resorts to his moral tendencies. Manny (Superego) saved Sid (Id). After the baby human is introduced, Manny protects it from Diego (Ego) who tries to take it multiple times. These scenes also show how the superego has influence on the desires of the Ego. Throughout the film, Manny is seen carrying the baby through the dangerous situations. This is because the superego, Manny, trusts himself over others. Manny, the Superego, provides a perfect example as a morally and logically leveled character throughout the