In 2002 20th Century Fox released Ice Age, hot on the heels of two animated big-hitters: Monsters, Inc. and Shrek. A bit of an underdog, perhaps, but my personal favorite of the three was Ice Age – perhaps that says more about my juvenile sense of humor than it does about the film. The inevitable sequel to Ice Age came in 2006, with more of the same wacky comedy, although lacking the freshness that made the first installment special. The third installment – Dawn of the Dinosaurs – had me worried in the first ten minutes or so that the magic was gone, but thankfully, that first impression was very, very wrong.

In Dawn of the Dinosaurs the dynamic of the strange little herd is shaken up by Manny the mammoth’s excitement over his impending fatherhood. Diego, the sabra-tooth tiger, decides to leave the herd to regain his hunting prowess, while Sid the sloth becomes jealous of Manny’s family and leaves to find one of his own. Sid succeeds – partially – when he finds three eggs, which hatch baby tyrannosauruses. However, when the baby dinos’ real mother appears, the rest of the herd must join together once more to rescue Sid from a hidden dinosaur haven.

I’ve seen the film twice now, once in 2D and once in 3D. While I don’t think the 3D made a great deal of difference to my enjoyment of the film, it is used to great effect throughout, and I laughed just as much the second time around as I did the first. It seems to me that the animation has improved greatly, so while the characters retain their cartoonish design, the detailing of features like fur looks superb. While the fast-paced action sequences are the most impressive in 3D, some of the loveliest moments are the more subtle uses of the technology – such as floating fireflies during a romantic scene between Scrat the squirrel and his newfound love interest, Scratte.

The highlight of the film for me is new character, Buck, voiced by Simon Pegg. Buck is a weasel who lives in the dinosaur realm, fending for himself and generally adventuring. His humor brings a slightly more demented edge to the already insane proceedings. As ever, although hardly subtle, the likeable characters and their sweet relationships are Ice Age’s greatest strength. With the main theme of Dawn of the Dinosaurs being parenthood, this time round there’s the added bonus of cute baby prehistory.

The Ice Age films are hardly big and clever, and Dawn of the Dinosaurs is no exception to this, however, they are massively entertaining and bucket-loads of fun. It’s not a franchise that’s for everyone – admittedly, it is pretty damn silly. If you enjoyed the first two films, then Dawn of the Dinosaurs will not disappoint, being just as funny, ridiculous and cute as the first two films – if not more so.