DVD Review: Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

November 4, 12:52 PMSalt Lake City DVD ExaminerTyson Huber

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Available now on DVD and Blu-ray!

Manny, Diego, and Sid are all back for a third go-around in the Ice Age franchise with Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs!

Both the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs comes absolutely packed with special features, but we will get to that in a minute. I really enjoyed the first Ice Age and thought the second one -while not as good- was a good follow up. Fortunately, the creators have capped off this trilogy with a great entry. Unlike so many other kids films that make it to third movies lose a lot of steam (see: Shrek), but Ice Age coasts on through with a solid third -and hopefully final- entry.

On par with third installments of other animated franchises, one of our main characters, Ellie -the mammoth mate of Manny- is expecting a new edition to the herd and everyone is preparing for the new arrival. Essentially, this film has a few plots running parallel to each other. First, we have Manny and Ellie expecting their first child; then Sid, feeling a bit lonely and mate-less wanting to be a father so bad he steals some T-rex eggs, which results in mom coming back to reclaim her offspring -and Sid; finally, we have Diego the Sabre-toothed Tiger feeling the effects of no longer being the young bachelor he once was and slowing down a bit. All of these plot lines work well for the movie and help the characters develop further in their new adventure. Each of our original main characters (Sid, Diego, and Manny) are all trying to become comfortable in their new chapters in their lives and dealing with it in their own ways. The plot that takes the pilot seat and thrusts the story forward is that the gang stumbles upon an entire lost world right beneath the ice where all the dinosaurs are living (yes, in this version of 'history' dinosaurs haven't gone extinct, they're just living beneath the surface). Kidnapped and taken there by a mother T-rex, the Manny, Ellie, and Diego must find Sid and bring him home. I have to hand it to the writers because this was a great way to keep the story fresh and give them an entire blank slate to work from by creating this (for lack of a better term) fantasy world to set their story in. It works incredibly well and keeps it new while keeping the characters and themes familiar.

I quite enjoyed this film as a whole as it seemed to get back to it's "roots" from the first film. A lot of it reminded me of the first one and what I like about it so much. There were a lot of touching moments matched only by the amount of funny ones. One of the funniest aspects of the film is Sid's well-intentioned but horribly executed attempts at parenthood -not to mention his "kids" are three baby T-rex's. He unsuccessfully tries to turn them into vegetarians, but manages to pass off a lot of bad habits, like habitual butt-scratching. Buck, a one-eyed weasel (voiced by Simon Pegg), serves as the herd's border line insane guide through this underworld and adds more great humor to the movie. Of course, almost all of the humor is family-friendly and the writers have tried to put several positive messages in Ice Age 3. None of this family-friendly humor or positive messages become preachy enough to ruin that action and overall enjoyment of the film, but makes for a good little bonus for all the young, impressionable viewers out there who are probably going to be watching this the most.

Fox Home Entertainment has packed the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs with a lot of great special features (see specs below). Almost all of these special features are fun or interesting to watch so I wouldn't recommend passing any of them up. There are two Scrat shorts, interviews with the main voice cast, and of course making-of and story featurettes with the cast, writers, creators, etc. This is actually the first time in a long time I remember watching all of the special features on a second disc of a DVD package. It's all good stuff, so be sure not to neglect the additional discs in the various editions.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is an easy recommend for anyone that was a fan of the first one, and all the young kids out there craving more of Diego, Manny, Sid, Scrat, and the rest of the gang. It's an adorably entertaining movie and it's rare to see a movie really rebound with a third installment, but they've done it. I doubt anyone will be disappointed with this.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is available now on DVD and Blu-ray and you can pick it up at Amazon.com!

From the Fox Home Entertainment Press Release:
The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs Three-Disc release includes the BD, DVD and Digital Copy and provides hours of extra fun for the entire family including an Ice Age digital story book maker, commentary by director Carlos Saldanha, deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, two special Scrat shorts, a how-to-draw Scrat tutorial with the filmmakers and much more.

The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs “Scrat Pack” Double DVD Pack, a great value for moms and fun for kids, will also be available for a limited time only featuring an overload of special features focusing on the determined squirrel including three “Scrat” games exclusive to the disc.

Three-Disc Blu-Ray Disc/DVD Combo Pack Special Features:
Disc One:
• Blu-ray Disc Feature Film
• Ice Age Story Maker
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Evolution Expedition
• Buck…Easel to Weasel
• Falling for Scratte
• Unearthing the Lost World
• Two Unfinished Deleted Scenes
• Walk The Dinosaur Music Video
• Two Scrat Shorts
o Gone Nutty – Scrat’s Missing Adventure
o No Time For Nuts
• The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Natures Nutty Buddy
• Scrat: From Head To Toe – learn how to draw Scrat tutorial
• Scrat: “Breaking Story”
• Scrat: “News Report”
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with John Leguizamo
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Ray Romano
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Queen Latifah
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene (Ice Age 2)

Disc Two:
• Digital Copy
Disc Three:
• Standard DVD Feature Film

“Scrat Pack” Double DVD Pack Special Features:
Disc One:
• Filmmaker Commentary
Disc Two:
• Two Scrat Shorts
o Gone Nutty – Scrat’s Missing Adventure
o No Time For Nuts
• The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Natures Nutty Buddy
• Scrat: From Head To Toe – learn how to draw Scrat tutorial
• Scrat: “Breaking Story”
• Scrat: “News Report”
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene
• Buck…Easel to Weasel
• Falling for Scratte
• Unearthing the Lost World
• Walk The Dinosaur Music Video
• Activities
o Scrat Pinball
o Eggshell
o Bubble Trouble

Standard DVD Specs:
• Filmmaker Commentary