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While Pixar certainly trail blazed a whole new way of thinking when it came to animated features, both in terms of execution and character, others have quickly boarded the CGI train; and few more successfully than Fox with the first Ice Age film. A huge hit was followed by a below par sequel, and while this instalment is pretty much "more of the same", there is still enough here to keep the kids (and their accompanying parents) amused for an hour and half.

This time out, the gang have all become pretty domesticated; Manny and Ellie prepare for the arrival of a newborn, while Sid's biological clock soon starts ticking, too. But when Sid is abducted by a creature thought to be extinct, the guys must venture underground to a whole new world seemingly lost when the Ice Age started. There they meet Buck, a slightly unhinged, but heroic weasel, who ventured to this world a long time ago to battle a dangerous mythical creature called Rory, that may or may not be tailing the guys.

Packing in more action that the first two films combined, this is often fun, sometimes amusing, but hardly groundbreaking work - nor is it meant to be. There are enough gags here to keep older audiences members entertained for the most part, while the heavy inclusion of a Scrat subplot, where he finds love, will also delight many.

At times it can prove tiresome, especially when hammering home the underlining theme of family. We all know family is important, and we don't need another American movie reminding us of that. Also, the inclusion of a lost world of Dinosaurs does come off as grasping at straws, slightly. That said, new character Buck does provide a surprising amount of laughs, and the aforementioned message, although sigh-worthy, is graciously delivered through laughs. There are much worse ways to distract the kids while they're on school holidays; just be wary of the obligatory repeated viewings on DVD - it won't hold up nearly as well as the original.

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