Dinos crash into 'Ice Age'

s is the first "Ice Age" movie to be released in 3-D, and it feels as if the artists haven't quite mastered the technique yet: At one point, an animal is running and kicks up some dirt, which comes flying out at the audience until it gets stuck on the screen, mimicking the effect of hitting the camera lens in a live-action feature. 
Animated filmmakers who use 3-D often describe the effect as a window, a way to give the audience a greater sense of depth into the picture. They do this to differentiate from schlocky horror films such as "My Bloody Valentine" that treat the effect as an excuse to chuck images at the audience and make it duck. This is the first time I can think of a filmmaker taking that description so literally: The screen serves as a pane of glass in a window, allowing the audience to look out at the action with greater depth while simultaneously blocking certain images from reaching in. 

The 3-D doesn't detract from the child-friendly comedy and the humorous voice work. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" works on its own terms, as a distraction for the children and an inoffensive, if unfulfilling, time at the theater for their parents.