My kids are fans of the Ice Age series. We own all three previous movies, with Dawn of the Dinosaurs being our hands down favorite. Sure there are dinosaurs chasing mammals during the Ice Age, but the writing and humor are worth looking past paleontology.
Ice Age: Continental Drift starts with Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel who is forever chasing an acorn, looking for a place to hide his treasured nut. It escapes, and he chases it to the center of the Earth where he causes the breakup of the super continent.
The breakup splits Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano) from his family. He promises to find his way back to them as he floats away on a piece of ice with pack mates Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the Saber-Tooth Tiger (Denis Leary).
Shouldn’t Diego’s name be Tony?
Squirrel!
But I digress. The three friends float out to sea and meet up with a group of pirates led by Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage) a prehistoric orangutan.
My kids eagerly awaited the release of Continental Drift. It did not disappoint.
Their favorite characters all returned with funny and memorable lines. The one criticism? Not enough Scrat. Although he starts and ends the movie, like all of the previous, his side story of chasing the acorn is absent for most of the film.
Whether the movie producers like it or not, Scrat is the favorite and most memorable character for kids and adults. On the other hand, I also understand that it must be difficult to come up with continuous story lines for a non-speaking, nut-chasing, one-dimensional squirrel.
Some younger children may find Captain Gutt and the shape-shifter sirens scary. Fortunately, the movie is fast paced, and none of the scarier moments last long. Keeping the 3D glasses on over regular glasses or on small faces is also an annoyance, but not a deterrent.
(Am I the only one that doesn’t get excited by 3D movies?)
This movie is perfect for tweens with smart-talking characters and a fast pace. I’m not sure if they will pick up the under-developed secondary plot with Manny and Ellie’s (Queen Latifah) teen daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) and her crush on a cute mammoth teen. To be excepted into the “cool” mammoths clique, Peaches must dump her loyal friend, Louis. This story is barely developed and is more of a bad detour to the main story vs trying to teach a lesson.
Adults and fans of the series will enjoy this movie. I felt there was so much focus on the new characters, that I missed the banter and friendship between the original characters. It is fun to listen to the movie and try to guess at all of the voice talents.
Ice Age: Continental Drift is a fun family outing for everyone, but don’t rely on just the beloved characters to carry this movie. It’s worth a view if you are a fan of the movie or just enjoy silly animated flicks.
Susan Wells is a native Colorado mom to two girls, ages 7 and 10. She loves to find the learning in everything. In past lives, Susan has been a symphony bassist, sound engineer, news web producer and web developer. She currently works for Steve Spangler Science in web marketing, social media and blogging. She also blogs at TwoHandsTwoFeet.com.
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