Directed by: Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier

Premise: The third film in the animated Ice Age franchise. The mixed herd of prehistoric mammals discovers a lost world underneath the ice where the age of the dinosaurs has been preserved. Shown theatrically in 2-D and 3-D.

What Works: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs continues the fun of the previous entries in the series. All the familiar players from the previous films return for this film and anyone who has enjoyed the adventures of Sid the sloth (voice of John Leguizamo), Manny the mammoth (voice of Ray Romano), and Diego the saber tooth tiger (voice of Denis Leary) will likely enjoy this film. Dawn of the Dinosaurs builds nicely to its climax, which is extremely well done and there is plenty of action and gags to be found.

What Doesn’t: Dawn of the Dinosaurs retreads a lot of the same scenarios of the previous Ice Age films. Although what is here is good, a lot of it is very familiar and those looking for a fresher take on this series may be disappointed. Dawn of the Dinosaurs is also a 3-D film that could just as easily have been 2-D. The film does not play to the strengths of the 3-D format or use it to any noticeable effect.

Bottom Line: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is not brilliant filmmaking and it retreads a lot of material from previous films but it is an amusing and fun diversion.