Ice Age 3: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

Following the events of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, life has become relatively stable for the self-proclaimed "weirdest herd." Manny and Ellie are expecting a baby, leaving Sid eager to become a parent and Diego insecure about his age. When Sid steals three dinosaur eggs and is kidnapped by the mother dino, the herd is forced underground to the world of the dinosaurs in search of him, led by the clinically insane weasel Buck. Meanwhile, Scrat is torn between his beloved acorn and a foxy flying squirrel pursuing the same acorn.

The Ice Age franchise always struck me as trying desperately to fall in place with the Pixar masterpieces. The first one, I thought, was very close, and then went down hill with the second and now third. The simple plot and small cast of the first made it so charming; it left lots of room for every actor's voice work. When they added Queen Latifah and those very annoying possums, it started getting cluttered. Now, with the third, it gets even more chaotic, with a multi-layered world of ice age creatures and dinosaurs. However, the addition of Simon Pegg's character was a good move, his voice work was hilarious and overshadowed every other actor, even everybody's favorite sloth, Sid. It's a kid's movie through and through, though, as in the second one, there are some clunky, awkward sexual innuendos, but nothing that isn't encountered in every day life ANYWAY. The animation has moved in leaps and bounds since the first chunky shapes of the first movie, and the new technology is used to its fullest in creating colorful, spiky dinosaurs, furry creatures and the lush jungle of the underground world of the dinosaurs. The music is always cute, too, with old-fashioned sounding tunes and glittery instrumentals. I'd give this about two and a half stars, take the kids, but don't expect to be as entertained in Pixar's "Up."

Up (2009)

By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

I remember seeing the teaser for this months ago and thinking, "How can they do it? How can Pixar make a movie about a grumpy old man and balloons a hit?" They succeeded, in fact, they made one of their best movies. After the initial introduction to the movie, there's about a minute of no dialogue, just animation and music which describes the course of 40-odd years. It's brilliant. The next hour that follows is funny without trying. There's no unnatural gags or set-ups, just naturally humorous situations and conversations, which is perfect considering the movies' message of embracing the simple pleasures in life as the most significant. The voice work is excellent (my personal favorite is Dug the dog) and the soundtrack, though repetitive, fits perfectly. This is the kind of movie that proves animated films are just as credible as live-action, and, after seeing Bride Wars on cable the over night, much more credible. It's a story for those who have lived life and experienced its joys and pains. When I saw in theaters, there was a very young child in the audience, and I found it interesting her parents were enjoying the movie more than she (she got bored and starting singing to herself and chatting). "UP" is definitely one of Pixar's masterpieces.