Spartacus?

I wonder if many people picked up on the fact that in the movie Ice Age 2: the Meltdown, the litle obsessed squirel gets to St Peter's gates of heaven, dancing ont he music of the classical ballet 'Spartacus' by Kachaturian...very funny, and yet so appropriate..what a parrallel, between Spartacus' yearning for freedom and the nameless squirel's hunger for nut...LOL
I didn't find this movie as hilarious as the first one though. Somehow I felt pity for the squirel, which in this one get a bigger part if not his nut. And it actually advances the storyline, not just an intermission scene...but his quest is sooooo painful. There were many issues in this movie and not that many one liners...