Ice movement in Ice age

In order to look more closely at my idea of ice cracking, I need to study further into the effective animations in which it was created previously. Here i'm looking at a Scrat clip from the first Ice Age movie, (2002) and looking at the animation from the 0:55 mark to the 1:30 mark. Here is 35 seconds of ice cracking but what makes it hold our attention as an audience?

 
First of all the timing is exact. The audience's eye can follow the camera as the cracks appear leading to the payoff shot that causes the huge ice block to come down. There is some really nice camera movement, especially in the 360 degree flip that takes place at 1:07. These little creative elements really work well and take what could otherwise be a very boring animation, making it interesting and full of suspense. The character can be seen to watch as the anticipation builds to the final moments of the scene. Keeping to a low angle long shot at first and zooming in on the cracks following this really adds context and life to the animation, making for a scene that is full of life and interest. The way the cracks turn and weave their way through the ice is very effective too and the length of the shot helps to establish the sheer scale of destruction that the character has managed to cause. At the climax of the ice cracking, we get a slight pause before the payoff which gives the audience a false sense of relaxation before the fear and 'oh no' element kicks back in.

        I plan to incorporate this fear and anticipation into my animation to fully capture the dread in the character. The OCD side of the character is important to be scared so I will work on that and try to express it through the movements of the cracks. In conclusion, the simplistic nature of the ice can be worked very well into something much more powerful through the correct staging and manipulation of the twelve principles of animation.