Parents' Guide to

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

3-D sequel is fun but also more intense than past films.

Movie PG 2009 87 minutes
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 5+

Based on 52 parent reviews

moviemom14
moviemom14 Parent of 7-year-old
March 13, 2022
age 7+

Unnecessary Sexy Parts

You should know that there’s a couple innuendos … The Sid character want to get milk from an oxen type creature in order to feed the baby dinosaurs he found. He reaches up and pulls on something underneath the animal, who reacts with shock and surprise and then growls at Sid. Sid ran and yelled “sorry, I thought you were a female!” Then later the boy squirrel is stuck on the tree trunk with tar, and the acorn stuck on him with tar. The girl squirrel shows up and seductive music plays as it shows a close up of her fingers “walking” seductively on the acorn towards Sid’s face, then suddenly she grabs hold of the acorns stem and yanks it off. Sis screams as the shot reveals his bare chest with his fur ripped off b

This title has:

Too much sex
oceansidevettech
oceansidevettech Adult
January 30, 2022
age 2+

Great movie for people who aren’t easily offended

It’s easy for people to find things to be offended over in these Ice Age movies. They have some crude humor, which a lot of people don’t like. They’re rated PG for a reason. My household doesn’t mind it. There is a pregnant character, but if a child doesn’t understand “a baby in a woman’s belly”, there’s a serious problem. I have a hard time believing a 6-10 year old has never seen a pregnant woman or animal in real life. The characters tease each other in a brotherly sort of way. I wouldn’t call it “bullying”. The dinosaurs can be a bit scary. The squirrels flirt. For Pete’s sake- there was no sexual assault. That was a complete overreaction on someone else’s review. There’s a lot of action, but we liked it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 52 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The prehistoric pals from the first two Ice Age movies are back in ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS, and now their inter-species herd is about to grow. Wooly mammoth Ellie (voiced by Queen Latifah) is expecting a baby, turning partner Manny (Ray Romano) into an overprotective, nervous father-to-be. Meanwhile, saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) realizes that he's lost his edge when he can't even capture easy prey and decides to leave the overly domesticated herd. And Sid (John Leguizamo), who's worried he won't belong when the baby arrives, takes matters into his own hands and swipes three eggs he finds under the ice. The triplets turn out to be baby T-rexes -- who have an understandably angry mama. The gang must band together to save Sid from the clutches of the underground dinosaur world that thrives just below their own icy surface.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (52):
Kids say (68):

While the first two Ice Age films were humorous character studies of unlikely prehistoric friends, the "threequel" is less compelling than its predecessors and much more about the action. Audiences already know how the main characters interact, so the focus shifts to the dangerous search for Sid and the obstacles that Manny, Diego, Ellie, and her nitwit twin "brothers" (Josh Peck, Seann William Scott) face. This works fine for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' 3-D scenes, but in the process the movie loses a tiny bit of the franchise's humor and heart.

The only memorable new additions are Buck (British comic actor Simon Pegg), a hermitic warrior weasel who guides the crew to Sid, and the three dinosaur babies, who can't play well with their Ice Age friends (a playground scene hilariously turns into an unlikely feast as the triplets swallow their new playmates). And arguably the best new character doesn't utter a single word: Scrat's love interest, Scratte, a winged female creature who desires that elusive acorn just as much as her beloved. Scrat and that acorn are the perfect animated example of physical comedy, and their scenes alone are worth a trip to the multiplex.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Famiies can talk about Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs's central message about having an unconventional herd/family. What defines a family? And should it matter what a person looks like in order to be their friend?

  • Families can also discuss how the violence compares to that of other movies meant for young kids. Was the 3-D too intense?

  • Also, how did some of the characters act differently than you expected, like the weasel Buck and the mama dinosaur? And even Ellie, though she's pregnant, is no weakling. How does her character portray females?

  • How do the characters in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs demonstrate teamwork and courage? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate