As a general rule, I don't get too excited about movie "threequels," but the 3rd installment in the Ice Age series, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which introduced one of the most violent of prehistoric creatures, Dinosaurs, into the storyline, presented some interesting possibilities. While I was not disappointed in this effort, I felt it was a bit too long on adventure and short on the sophisticated humor that made the original Ice Age and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, so entertaining. This effort is pretty much straight slapstick, with the Roadrunner style antics of Scrat, the zany squirrel, mixed in, giving it a sort of Looney Tunes effect, while focusing primarily on the adventure sequences.

As the story opens, Manny (voice of Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first baby mammoth, which leaves Sid the Sloth (voice of John Leguizamo) feeling left out, while Diego (voice of Dennis Leary) feels he's losing his touch after failing to catch a speedy gazelle.  After wandering of, Sid discovers three large eggs in an underground cave, which he decides may be his ticket to parenthood. However, he is in for a big surprise when they hatch baby dinosaurs and their mother, a fierce Tyrannosaurus, comes looking for them. The adventure begins, when Sid is plunged into an underground world beneath the ice, where plant life and dinosaurs have survived. Manny, Ellie, and Diego set off to rescue Sid from the underworld, when they run across a colorful, one-eyed, Pirate-like weasel, Buck, (voice of Simon Pegg), who guides them through the underworld, while trying to find the ferocious creature who cost him his eye.

While it would be a stretch to say that the Scrat segments have a plot, this film introduces a bit of romance as Scrat hooks up with an alluring female squirrel as they both attempt to lay claim to the elusive acorn, which turns into a nasty competition, set the music of Barry White and Lou Rawls. The result is a Looney Tune, with a comedic romantic twist.

The animation is pretty much standard Pixar 3-D cgi animation, but featuring a bit more variation in landscapes than the previous two installments, with the colorful underground vegetation and molten lava pits, which is a nice contrast to to icy tundra. While the film was originally released with a 3-D visual scheme, the Blu-Ray set includes a DVD and bonus digital copy, none of which are viewable in 3-D. The 3 disc set is loaded with extras featuring a filmmaker's commentary, Ice Ace storybook maker, Evolution Expedition featurette; Unearthing the Lost World featurette, unfinished deleted scenes, "Walk the Dinosaur" music video, several Fox Movie Channel features with John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, and Queen Latifah, and several Scat shorts.

The vocal performances are all very well done, but in this film,  Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg steals the show, with his crusty performance as Buck. While there is not a lot of character development in this series, and bit of violence in this installment, the result is a warm, fuzzy, story about friendship and family.

Overall, Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs, is a film that will appeal to both adults and small children who will enjoy the adventure and slap stick themes, while adults will enjoy the ambivalent romantic interplay between Scrat and his new love interest. The addition of the character of Buck, adds a spark to the familiar Ice Age characters that we have grown to love. The result is a fun-filled action/adventure story, with a charming "nutty" romance, as an added bonus.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age