Review: "Ice Age: Continental Drift"

Reviewer: Mary Draughon for Previewonline.com

Forget what you learned in school about the Ice Age and how all that ice became mountains, meadows, farmland and beautiful rivers and lakes. As in the first three “Ice Age” animated films, Scrat the squirrel, is still chasing a runaway acorn and should receive all the credit or blame, depending on your personal outlook.

Manny the Mammoth (voice of Ray Romano) continues to be the leader of an assorted group of animals, including Sidney the Sloth (voice of John Leguizamo) and tiger Diego (voice of Denis Leary). Manny and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are dealing with their teenage daughter. Sid has been abandoned by his parents, who sail away from him because he is dumb, expecting Granny (voice of Wanda Sykes) to take care of him. As the acorn continues to dodge the squirrel, the solid mass of ice begins to break into huge icebergs. Manny’s small group suddenly experiences the effects of breaking ice beneath them and once again, Manny, Diego and Sid are separated from them.

Manny and his comrades desperately try to control the runaway iceberg. Their biggest challenge is a sinister ice pirate ship with the evil Captain Gutz (voice of Peter Dinklage) threatening the three stranded animals. Children will love the excitement, danger and comical antics of the animals. Through all the trials and disappointing failures to find their way back to family, Manny continues to be a compassionate, strong leader who never panics. Likewise, Ellie becomes the anchor of the group back “home.” She welcomes Granny and Sid into the fold, treating them like family. Peaches learns the difference between being popular and being a friend.

Even the squirrel never giving up chasing the acorn may be a metaphor that perseverance and determination can change the world.

Distributor: Disney Pictures

PG (danger and excitement; sinister pirate ship, but no killings or gore; positive messages about importance of belonging, working together as a team; not giving up.

Running time: 87 minutes