This one was a surprise. I liked the first Ice Age, largely because it didn't try to overcomplicate its story, but mostly for the entertaining Scrat - bringing silent comedy gold to modern animation before WALL-E was even on the drawing board. I then found nothing to like beyond Scrat in the the forced and unfunny Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. It showed me what i had suspected in the first, the main characters just weren't that interesting or fun.
So i was shocked to find that rather than doing a DreamWorks and resting on the franchise laurels, working on the basis "if we make it, they will come" (i'm looking at you Shrek The Third) the team behind Ice Age 3 have crafted a hugely fun entertainment, and really looked back on the characters and brought them to life for the audience. For the first time i wasn't just waiting for Scrat to come back on, i was enjoying following the main story.
Furthermore this is by far the best use of 3D to heighten the entertainment experience that i've seen. Some use 3D for cheap effect and to try and generate more more for poor movies (Journey To The Center Of The Earth, Monsters Vs Aliens), some use it for a more immersive world (Coraline, Pixar) but Blue Sky use it here it in a dynamic way i've not yet seen. Chase scenes and action moments are more visceral, comedy moments (one involving Scrat, his female counterpart and the ever elusive acorn trapped in bubbles is gold) made even funnier. It is smart, smart use of the technology and should stand as an example of what can be achieved with 3D.
So the characters are more enjoyable, the story keeps you involved, the new character (voiced by Simon Pegg) is a vast improvement over those introduced in part 2, the comedy comes thick and fast and ellicits genuine laughs and the 3D is superbly used. No surprise to me it became the biggest animated film of all time at the international box office. One of the summer's best with ease.
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