ICE AGE 3: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (U)

ICE AGE 3: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (U)
Twentieth Century Fox/Blue Sky Studios
Voice Cast: John Leguizamo, Simon Pegg, Denis Leary, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Running Time: 1hr 25mins

ONE of the most enjoyable non-Disney animations in quite some time is sure to take a T-Rex-sized bite out of the box-office this summer.
After the humdrum ‘going-through-the-motions’ affair that was Ice Age’s sequel ‘The Meltdown’ (which was so mundane I won’t even attempt a pun on the tempting sub-title), a colourful change of direction, coupled with the exciting introduction of 3D, puts the second sequel giant footprints ahead of its predecessor.
Just when you feared studios were churning sequel after sequel of padded-out, money-making fare – ‘Shrek the Third’, ‘Madagascar 2’ etc,  at least Fox’s Blue Sky animation decided to introduce a fresh take on the franchise, which is an exotic underground dinosaur-thriving world untouched from the initial Earth-shattering prehistoric extermination.
As usual it’s left to John Leguizamo’s Sid the Sloth and the acorn-loving Scrat to help provide the vast majority of comedic genius – but this time Brit star Simon Pegg adds a welcome humorous injection as a less camp Jack Sparrow-esque, dinosaur-hunting, one-eyed weasel.
With wooly mammoths Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) expecting their first baby, close pals sabretooth Diego (Denis Leary), who’s showing his first signs of a mid-life crisis, and Sid, who tries to prove he’s father material himself by stealing what turns out to be three baby dinosaur eggs, try to fit into the impending family set-up.
But when the T-Rex parent of the now-hatched dino infants drags Sid into this mysterious world hidden under the icy tundra, the gang team up to save their dozy long-time friend from the jaws of certain death.
Enter Pegg’s Buck as their fearless guide – who’s also tracking the largest dinosaur alive – and the continuing, and ever-increasing, side story of Scrat’s quest for his beloved acorn, this time with a female fellow nut-loving love/nemesis Scratte for company.
Unfortunately Romano’s droning-voiced Manny is starting to get past his sell-by-date and Leary’s Diego also has very little storyline impact  as their characters are overshadowed by Pegg’s welcome turn. But for the most part the gags are surprisingly plentiful, the animation luscious and delightfully colourful, and despite the unexplained phenomenon of this dinosaur world that should be long extinct (hey, it’s a kids animation, they can get away with it!) – this is the ‘Jurassic Park’ of animations.
And if you can get to see it in 3D – despite celeb film critic Mark Kermode’s misgivings of it being a passing fad – it’s well worth the experience. The subtle use of the technology is refreshingly not over-the-top, non headache-inducing and the kids will love it.
If you can’t, go see and take your family anyway – we have a long wait until October for Disney/Pixar’s ‘Up’ . . .

ESP Rating: 4/5

Gavin Miller