I generally see several animated movies every year, some of which end up being better than others.  I enjoyed Ice Age and Ice Age: The Meltdown, so I've been looking forward to seeing the third movie, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Scrat is still determined to get his little paws and teeth on the ever elusive acorn.  He soon ends up with competition for the acorn when he encounters Scratte, a female flying squirrel who is also determined to get her little paws on the acorn.  She is very devious and sneaky in her attempts to get the acorn, but that doesn't stop Scrat.

Manny and Ellie are preparing for the birth of their first child.  That seems to mostly involve Manny panicking on a regular basis while also taking time to attempt to baby proof nature.  Diego decides that it is time for him to head off on his own.  Sid is feeling left out and he ends up deciding to take care of three eggs he finds that he believes have been abandoned in an underground cave.  When the eggs hatch tyrannosaurs, they think Sid is their mother.  He does his best, though there are issues with how his children play with others.  It turns out the eggs weren't abandoned after all, and Mamma dinosaur is not pleased.  She takes her babies, along with Sid, back to the underground jungle where she and other dinosaurs live.  Manny, Ellie, Diego, Crash, and Eddie decide to go after Sid. Once in the jungle they meet Buck, a somewhat crazy weasel who has been living in the jungle for a long time.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs does have a plot that is completely separate from the first two movies and can stand alone.  There isn't any sort of recap for what happened in the previous movies.  I do think it is best to see those movies first.  Certain things about the characters will make more sense when the movies are watched in order.  There is no indication of how much time has passed since the end of the second movie when this one begins, but it was enough for the birth of Ellie and Manny's child being close.   

The plot for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is fairly simple even though there are several things going on.  Most of the time is given to the attempt to find Sid with a little bit connected to Ellie's pregnancy added in.  Scrat and Scratte pop up every so often throughout the movie for short sequences, much like Scrat was used in the previous movies.  During the first two movies, Scrat really didn't come into much contact with the main characters.  He and Scratte did seem to appear closer to the other characters, sometimes even in the same short scene together.  There really isn't any suspense to the movie, though there are a few surprises.  A few things that happen are predictable, while a few other things are surprising.  The movie is very entertaining and I think the things that happen make a natural progression for the characters based on what they have been through in the previous movies.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a funny movie overall.  There are some gross jokes which might offend some viewers.  Slapstick type of humor is used in many scenes, and a lot of the humor is just downright silly which may not appeal to everyone.  I think the humor works for the movie and everything that is going on.  Sid and his attempts to mother his adopted children are very funny as are Scrat's continued efforts to get his precious acorn.  There are a few suggestive remarks, though nothing is that graphic, so children probably won't pick up on those things.  There is some mild violence in a few scenes, including a few sequences that might upset or even scare younger children.  Some scenes include some action that was done and works to help keep the movie interesting.  The movie is rated PG, so parents should keep that in mind when deciding on if the movie is right for their family.

Friendships and families play an important part throughout Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.  Manny, Sid, and Diego created a rather unique herd during the first movie that got larger with the addition of Ellie, Eddie, and Crash.  They are all still together when this movie begins, though Manny and Ellie are starting their own little family and that does impact the others.  They all get irritated with Sid at times, but they are willing to go looking for him even though it seems that the journey will be dangerous.  Buck manages to fit in with the group, though he is unique in his own way.  A tiny bit of romance is added through what happens with Scrat and Scratte that is rather cute.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a computer animated movie.  The animation is beautifully done, especially what was done for all the fur on the various animals.  The strands of fur were moving in the breeze and looked very realistic.  The characters, especially Ellie, looks so soft and cuddly.  The various settings for the movie look wonderful and all very colorful.  The animation is very well done.  This movie, like many of the other recent animated movies, has been released in 3D in some theaters.  I did see the 3D version and think it was done well and worked well for the story without distracting from the story.  There actually weren't as many scenes taking advantage of the 3D as I had thought there would be.  The images during the credits are also in 3D.

Most of the characters in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs were introduced in one of the first two movies.  Manny and Ellie have settled into a happy life together, though Manny is being a bit over protective and freaking out a bit about becoming a father.  Manny still has some attitude issues at times, but that doesn't last for long.  Ray Romano does fine with the voice.  Ellie is a bit more normal than she was in the second movie.  Queen Latifah handles the voice very well.  Crash and Eddie, Ellie's opossum brothers, are still around and up to their antics, though they don't seem to have as much to do.  Josh Peck and Sean William Scott do well with the voices.

Diego, the tiger, has had the most trouble adapting to the pack he Manny and Sid formed.  Diego does still care about his friends, but he is having some issues.  Dennis Leary does a very good job with the voice.  Sid is the sloth who tries so hard to make friends and fit in only to still end up alone.  He is feeling a bit alone when he decides to take care of the eggs.  He means well, but he ends up causing all sorts of problems.  John Leguizamo does a good job with the voice.  The baby dinosaurs look really cute, though they still show off their more wild side at times as well.  Mamma dinosaur turns up in a few scenes, usually doing something to protect or take care of her babies.

Buck is a new character.  He is a weasel who has lived in the jungle and been dealing with dinosaurs for a long time.  He knows how to survive and fight off the dinosaurs, though he acts like he's lost a few of his marbles.  Simon Pegg does a wonderful job with the voice.  Scrat is mostly just shown trying to get his beloved acorn, though he does end up having to fight Scratte for the acorn.  Neither one of them actually talk, though they do make some other sounds.  Scratte is an attractive female flying squirrel, complete with blue eye shadow, who is also after the acorn.  The interactions between her and Scrat are very cute.  Various other animals and dinosaurs turn up without them being that important to what is going on.

Main Cast

Karen Disher - Scratte
Queen Latifah - Ellie
Denis Leary - Diego
John Leguizamo - Sid
Josh Peck - Eddie
Simon Pegg - Buck
Ray Romano - Manny
Sean William Scott - Crash
Chris Wedge - Scrat

Directed by Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a cute, entertaining animated movie.  Fans of the first two movies will probably find something to enjoy about the movie.

I would have gone with four and a half stars if I had the option.  Since I didn't, I decided to round up to five.

Ice Age ~ Ice Age: The Meltdown ~ Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosarus ~

Other Animated Movie Reviews
101 Dalmatians ~ Aladdin ~ The Ant Bully ~ Antz ~ The Aristocats ~ Barnyard ~ Batman: Mask of the Phantasm ~ Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero ~ Beauty and the Beast ~ Bee Movie ~ Bolt ~ Brother Bear ~ A Bug's Life ~ Cars ~ Chicken Little ~ Doctor Strange The Emperor's New Groove ~ Finding Nemo ~ Flushed Away ~ Happy Feet ~ Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron ~ Hellboy Animated - Sword of Storms ~ Home on the Range ~ Hoodwinked ~ Horton Hears a Who ~ Igor ~ The Incredibles ~ Invincible Iron Man ~ Jetsons: The Movie ~ Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius ~ Kung Fu Panda ~ Lilo & Stitch ~ The Little Mermaid ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ Madagascar ~ Meet the Robinsons ~ Monster House ~ Monsters, Inc. ~ Monsters vs. Aliens ~ Mulan ~ The Nightmare Before Christmas ~ Open Season ~ Over the Hedge ~ The Polar Express ~ Ratatouille ~ Robots ~ Shark Tale ~ Shrek ~ Shrek 2 ~ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ~ Sleeping Beauty ~ Tim Burton's Corpse Bride ~ TMNT ~ Toy Story ~ Toy Story 2 ~ Treasure Planet ~ Ultimate Avengers ~ Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther ~ Up ~ Valiant ~ Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ~ Wallace & Gromit - Three Amazing Adventures ~ WALL-E ~ The Wild ~

Recommended: Yes