Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Carlos Saldanha

BY Brendan WillisPublished Jun 30, 2009

The third instalment of the Ice Age franchise lacks the cuteness and humour of the first two movies as the story of Manny the mammoth, Diego the sabre tooth tiger and Sid the sloth is stretched beyond its natural limits. This time around the simple adventure story is bogged down with a side plot focusing on Manny's responsibilities as a new father, detracting from the light-hearted fun of the first two movies.

This adventure finds Sid (John Leguizamo) becoming the unwitting father of a trio of misplaced T. Rex babies. The goofy sloth is soon kidnapped by the mommy dino and taken to an underground world where the last of the giant lizards roam. Manny (Ray Romano), Diego (Dennis Leary) and Manny's pregnant wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) head off on a rescue mission, joined by their friends from the first two movies and newcomer Buck (Simon Pegg), a rough and tumble weasel who guides them on their dinosaur adventure. Scrat the unfortunate little acorn-seeking creature is also back, joined by a female acorn lover that distracts him from his task.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs rehashes the first two films, adding little to the formula that made the franchise successful. The animation doesn't have the awe inspiring detail of a Pixar film but it is cranked up a notch or two, with the fuzzy mammoths now almost looking like animated plush toys. Kids will enjoy seeing familiar characters in a new adventure but parents won't be particularly amused this time around. If Mom and Dad just need to get the little ones out of the heat for a few hours this summer then Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a family friendly 90 minutes free from explosions and angry robots.
(Fox)

Latest Coverage