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While the old characters are fun—even though a bit moved to the background—the movie gets a huge energy boost from a brand new character: A weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg, Star Trek's new Scotty). Buck is basically Dinosaur's Captain Jack Sparrow, a loony and unhinged guide through this dangerous new world. He's been in the underground world for months hunting Rudy, a great white beast that took his right eye. If the "great white" part didn't tip you off, Buck's plot is full of allusions to Moby Dick. He lives for revenge and serves to juxtapose the idea of family vs. loner when placed against the returning family of Ice Age characters. He especially seems to respect the friends' determination to find and save one of their own.

Scrat once again finds himself in trouble

Speaking of fun characters, a movie isn't Ice Age without Scrat, the primitive squirrel who's seemingly been chasing the same acorn for several millennia. Once again, the filmmakers use the silent Scrat incredibly well—giving him a love interest and two classic bits, a tar bubble chase scene and a wonderful tango sequence. These non sequitur sequences reminded me of the simple fun of old Bugs Bunny cartoons. And that's what Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is able to accomplish—a sense of good old fun.

Talk About It

1. A character says that Sid may only be found "in the afterlife." What is the afterlife?
2. Sid goes through certain feelings knowing that Manny is having a baby. How are those feelings like what it feels like to have a new brother or sister added to the family? How is it different?
3. If the group likes Sid so much—even risking their lives to save him—why do they seem mean to him and call him names?
4. What makes a group of friends work the best? Read 1 Corinthians 13. What does that say about how we should treat friends?

The Family Corner

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is rated PG for some mild rude humor and peril. The rude humor includes a line about someone having gas (no flatulence is heard), a character trying to milk a male yak, one crotch shot, and a vague reference to "the important stuff" on a body being in the front. A character says he knew a butterfly back when he was a caterpillar, "you know, before he came out." There are also some gross-out moments like a character covered in snot after being inside a dinosaur's nose. A character tells a dinosaur to "barf him up" after he swallows a mammal. Sid, the sloth, is the annoying misfit of the friend group and is often called names like "idiot." There are many scenes of peril for the main characters as they confront lots of dinosaurs.

Photos © 20th Century Fox/Blue Sky Studios

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