Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

🦖 “When the Ice Age franchise said, ‘What if Jurassic Park but sillier?’”


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🎬 Let’s start with showing y’all the trailer, shall we?

Also here’s the full soundtrack to share with y’all.

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🐾 Non-Spoiler Plot Rundown

Just when you think the Ice Age crew has seen it all — melting ice, murderous fish reptiles, humans with clubs — Blue Sky decided to drop them into a literal underground dinosaur world. This third entry dials everything up to absurd but in a good way. Manny is now overprotective because he and Ellie are expecting a baby, Sid decides he wants kids too (in the dumbest way possible), and Diego starts doubting if he belongs in the herd. But the chaos really begins when Sid stumbles upon dinosaur eggs, and naturally, his “dad instincts” awaken.

Cue the dinosaurs. Cue the chaos. Cue Buck.


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👥 Character Rundown

Manny (Ray Romano): Classic Manny — cautious, grumpy, but secretly full of heart. His arc here is fatherhood anxiety.

Ellie (Queen Latifah): Now pregnant, grounding Manny’s paranoia but also proving her resilience.

Diego (Denis Leary): Wrestling with self-doubt, because he feels like he’s losing his edge running with a “family” instead of hunting.

Sid (John Leguizamo): Equal parts lovable and insufferable, he kidnaps dino eggs and sparks the whole adventure.

Buck (Simon Pegg): The MVP of this film. A one-eyed, borderline insane weasel who lives in the dino world like it’s his personal theme park. He’s obsessed with a giant dinosaur he named Rudy, and his manic energy makes him unforgettable.

Rudy (no voice actor, just roars): The big bad of the underground world. A white Baryonyx whose shadow looms over every scene, giving the “villain” role without actually speaking.

🦥 Sid the Sloth: Love Him or Hate Him?

Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo) is one of those animated characters who manages to be both enduring and incredibly annoying at the same time. On one hand, he’s the comic relief — bumbling, clueless, always tripping over his own words, and somehow surviving situations no sane sloth should. He’s often the heart of the herd, the one trying to hold everyone together with loyalty and optimism, even when he’s screwing everything up. That makes him memorable and even kind of lovable.

But let’s be real: Sid’s antics can grate on you. His lisp, his constant whining, his complete lack of survival instincts — sometimes you want to reach into the screen and say, “Please stop talking for five minutes.” He’s the type of character where kids find him hilarious, but adults might roll their eyes after the fifth “Sid moment” in a row.

That duality is what makes him stick, though. Sid’s not cool like Diego or noble like Manny — he’s pathetic, irritating, loyal, and somehow iconic all rolled into one. He’s proof that sometimes the “annoying character” ends up being the most enduring.

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🎨 Animation & Style

This movie looks gorgeous compared to the earlier ones. The underground jungle is lush, colorful, and vibrant — glowing plants, misty waterfalls, giant dino bones scattered everywhere. It’s a complete tonal shift from the icy tundra, and honestly, the change of scenery reinvigorated the franchise. And the dinosaur designs? Both intimidating and playful — from the T. rex mom to Rudy’s hulking menace.


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👍 Pros

Buck. Just Buck. He elevates the whole film with humor, wit, and genuine heart. Simon Pegg went feral in the voice booth and it paid off.

The dinosaur world is beautifully realized, easily the best visuals of the series at this point.

Good balance of humor and darker tones, especially with Rudy’s looming threat.


👎 Cons

Sid’s subplot is a bit annoying; his baby-obsession gets cringey fast.

Some of the jokes veer into childish territory (even more than usual).

Plot-wise, it’s a little recycled — the herd gets separated, goes on a rescue, rinse and repeat.



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💭 Final Thoughts

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs works because it went completely unhinged in the best way. Bringing dinosaurs into the mix could’ve felt like a cheap gimmick, but adding Buck and making Rudy such a terrifying presence gave the movie fresh energy. Honestly? This is the last Ice Age movie that really felt special.

Rating: 10/10
(Yeah, I said it. Rudy still gives me chills, and Buck is the GOAT.)


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⚠️ Spoilers Ahead – Read at Your Own Risk ⚠️

So Sid “adopts” three dinosaur eggs. Naturally, their actual mom (a T. rex) shows up, furious, and hauls Sid underground into the hidden dino world. The herd follows to rescue him — and that’s where they meet Buck, the weasel who immediately steals the spotlight. Buck is basically half-mad from years of living down there, carrying a knife made of a raptor’s tooth, and constantly ranting about his archnemesis Rudy.

Rudy is no joke. He’s a massive albino Baryonyx that terrorizes everything in the jungle. He’s not just big — he’s smart, cunning, and always lurking. His first appearance is classic monster-movie stuff: glowing eyes, ominous footsteps, then a sudden strike.

Meanwhile, Manny freaks out about Ellie being pregnant during all this chaos, which leads to a tense sequence where Ellie nearly gives birth while being chased. Diego regains his confidence by saving the herd, proving he’s not “too soft” after all.

The climax? Rudy attacks full-force, and Buck leads a desperate fight against him. With some teamwork, Rudy is ultimately flung off a cliff, seemingly defeated. Buck gets the chance to leave with the herd, but in true Buck fashion, he decides to stay behind in the dino world because he needs Rudy. That obsession defines him — life is only exciting with a nemesis to chase.

The film closes on Manny and Ellie welcoming their daughter, Peaches, while Sid finally finds acceptance in being part of a family, even if he can’t have his own kids.