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Recent releases:
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- Immaculate
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- Soul
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- American Star
- Dune: Part 1 (reissue)
- Jerry & Marge Go Large
- Argylle
- Forever Young
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- All of Us Strangers
- Holdovers, The
- Mean Girls
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Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Stars: Voices: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Simon Pegg, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Chris Wedge, Lucas Leguizamo, Jane Lynch, Allegra Leguizamo, Josh Peck, Joe Romano
Director: Carlos Saldana. Co-director: Michael Thurmer
More frozen foolery in a welcome sequel that, while not actually having much of a storyline, nonetheless hits all the right marks notably funny characters with funny voices and solidly silly slapstick to endear it to its youthful target audience.
Says George (7), I thought it was a good film for children, because there are lots of funny bits. I give it 9 out of 10!! adding, P.S. My brother Felix (4) liked it too. George and Felix are right. Theres plenty of lively humour, including a crazy downhill race across the snow with Sid the Sloth juggling to save the three dinosaur eggs he finds. Later, he hatches them, declares himself mother to the diminutive dinos and finds true happiness. Another story strand has Manny the Mammoth waiting for the birth of his new child (Its a boy! cries Sid on seeing the latest family member, only to be reproved with Thats his tail, one of the jokes which one hopes will go over the heads of younger kids - fat hope in all probability and keep accompanying adults entertained.
More adventure follows when the gang of old favourites find the way into a verdant underground world where dinosaurs, pterodactyls and other prehistoric pets roam and where weird weasel Buck (sporting a green eye patch and voiced by series newcomer Pegg) hunts the Mother of all Dinosaurs. Or maybe its the Father Im not knowledgeable enough about paleontology to be certain.
The computer generated animation is state of the art and, best of all, superb 3-D filming gives Ice Age 3 real depth. And while it works very well flat, see it three dimensionally if you can.
Alan Frank
USA 2009. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour by deluxe.
96 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: U.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.
Review date: 02 Jul 2009