If you’ve ever scrolled deep into the "Kids & Family" section of Amazon Prime Video and wondered how you ended up looking at a neon-orange creature that looks like a cross between a hamster and a vacuum cleaner, you’ve found Ooops! Noah Is Gone... (also known as Two by Two or All Creatures Big and Small).
This is a textbook example of "B-tier" animation. It’s the kind of movie that exists to fill the gaps between Disney releases, keeping the 6-year-old demographic occupied while parents fold laundry. It isn't trying to change the world or win an Oscar. It’s just trying to get through the flood.
The Ice Age Lite vibe
The movie leans heavily on the "mismatched pair on a road trip" trope. You have Finny, a clumsy, overly-optimistic Nestrian, and Leah, a grumpy, cynical Grymp. If that sounds like the Sid and Manny dynamic from Ice Age, that’s because it basically is. The film swaps the prehistoric tundra for a rising tide, but the beats are the same: characters who shouldn't be friends have to survive predators and environmental hazards to find their families.
The stakes are technically high—it’s the end of the world, after all—but the tone stays firmly in the "slapstick adventure" lane. The "predators" (mostly a pair of griffins) are more bumbling than terrifying. For a parent, the real friction isn't the peril; it's the realization that you've seen this exact story told better by studios with bigger budgets.
Why it works for the "just one more" crowd
Despite the 36% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, there’s a reason this movie keeps popping up on streaming services. It’s incredibly safe.
While some animated films try to sneak in "adult" humor or complex emotional trauma, this movie stays in its lane. The lessons about teamwork and not judging a book by its cover are laid on thick. If your kid is in that sweet spot where they love bright colors and physical comedy but aren't quite ready for the darker themes of a DreamWorks or Disney villain, this is a low-stress pick.
It’s also an interesting artifact of the European animation scene. It was a co-production involving Irish studios, though it lacks the hand-drawn soul of something like Wolfwalkers. If you’re looking for high-quality animation from that part of the world, you should skip the bargain bin and look at our guide to the best Irish kids movies for a family movie night. Those films offer the "prestige" version of what this movie is trying to do.
The specific friction
The main thing to know before hitting play is that the "Nestrian" biology is a bit of a plot device. They glow in the dark and shoot blue gas when they’re scared. It’s the kind of "random superpower" writing that can feel lazy to adults but is genuinely funny to a first-grader.
According to Common Sense Media, parents generally find it "parent-approved" because the "scary" moments are brief and the payoff is wholesome. Just don't expect to be humming the soundtrack or quoting the dialogue. It’s a movie designed to be consumed and immediately replaced by the next thing in the algorithm.
If your kid specifically liked the "survival against the odds" aspect of Ice Age or the animal-centric comedy of Madagascar, this will keep them quiet for 85 minutes. Just don't feel obligated to sit through it with them. You’ve seen this one before, even if you haven't.
