The first movie, 2002’s "Ice Age," was definitely the best. The second, 2006’s "Ice Age: The Meltdown," was cute, and this one is cute, too. They just seem to be losing their steam. But the animation continues to be fantastic, with every snowflake and furry animal popping off the screen at you. 

This third movie, released on DVD and Blu-ray Oct. 27, 2009, finds Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) preparing to have a baby Mammoth. Manny is nesting big-time, creating a beautiful little playground full of ice-figure mobiles, play structures, and teeter-totters.

It leaves Sid (John Leguizamo) wishing for a family of his own, and he gets just that when he stumbles upon a trio of large eggs. He doesn’t realize they’re dinosaur eggs, and their mom wants them back.

More after the jump…

Diego (Denis Leary) has his own issues. With all this family planning going on, he feels like he’s losing his touch in the wild. He can’t even chase after a nimble gazelle without gasping for breath.

When Sid accidentally falls into a strange underground world full of lush tropical foliage and creatures of every shape and size, the rest of the gang heads down to try and rescue him. They get some help from a one-eyed weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg) who’s like an animal version of Crocodile Dundee. 

The journey puts the group in grave danger, especially Ellie, who’s just about ready to have that baby Mammoth.

Of course, we can’t forget Scrat (Chris Wedge), who’s still on the hunt to grab and hold onto that elusive acorn. But that dream is seriously hindered by the appearance of a female sabre-toothed squirrel named Scratte. 

This movie is cute as all get-out, and the storyline moves along fairly well. But there’s not a lot of new ground here (well, aside from the lush new ground beneath the ice floes). If you have kids in the 5- to 8-year-old range who like cute, animated movies, this is a good choice.

NOTE TO PARENTS: The violence is mainly cartoonish, with Scrat’s quest to get the acorn and a few close calls from other characters (a gazelle being chased, but not caught and eaten). Some of the dinosaurs are pretty scary, but for the most part, they don’t inflict any real damage on any characters.  Sexual innuendoes are limited to Scrat and his new love interest, as well as Manny and Ellie acting sweet towards each other. In one scene, Sid tries to milk an animal that turns out to be male, and in another scene, he thinks a baby mammoth is a boy until Diego says, "That’s a tail." Language includes mild insults, usually directed at Sid, as well as "poop" and "barf."

DVD Bonus Features:

• Trailer: Alvin and the Chipmunks:The Squeakquel
• Trailer: Percy Jackson 
• Trailer: Aliens In The Attic
• Trailer: Night At The Museum 2
• Trailer: Glee
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Marley Meets Purina Puppy Chow

Photo Credit: Blue Sky Studios, TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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The trailer for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is playing in front of "Tooth Fairy" right now, and it makes me laugh out loud. Especially when the one kid is trying to get the other kid to chuck a nerdy "Me and My Mommy" T-shirt. "Your mom is trying to get you killed," he says.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid," in theaters April 2, 2010, is a live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s illustrated novel about a wise-cracking middle school student. It’s directed by Thor Freudenthal, who directed "Hotel for Dogs" (so he’s got some kid movie creds) and was a conceptual artist on both "Stuart Little" movies.

The movie stars Chloe Moretz, Rachael Harris, Alex Ferris, Zachary Gordon, and Steve Zahn. It reminds me a little of "How to Eat Fried Worms," but this is 20th Century Fox, not Walden Media. See what you think of the trailer.

Image: Amazon.com

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The plot for “Shrek Forever After” is similar to Frank Capra’s classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Shrek lands in a Far Far Away world as if he never existed. The ogre Fiona is public enemy number one, Donkey is afraid of Shrek, and Puss in Boots is a lazy domesticated housecat.

While the trailer doesn’t reveal too much, Dreamworks has indicated that the big green guy has become bored with life as a husband and dad, and wonders what else is out there for him.

Directed by Mike Mitchell, the returning cast includes Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Antonio Banderas. It’s set for a May 21, 2010 release date. Oh, and just like every other kids’ movie these days, it’s in 3D. Why, oh why must everything be in 3D?!!

Image: Paramount Pictures

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Read my full review here, but to summarize, it’s a CG-animated movie featuring super-smart animal spies who go head to head with an electronics hot-shot planning to take over the world using home appliances. But things don’t go well, and the FBI department is shut down, landing the animals in various places, including homes and a pet shop.

One thing it has going for it is a superb voice and live-action cast, including Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, Nicolas Cage, Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Jon Favreau, Steve Buscemi, and Bill Nighy.

It’s rated PG for some mild action and rude humor; directed by Hoyt Yeatman and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

The film is now available in several versions, including single-disc widescreen, three-disc DVD/Blu-ray combo, and two-disc DVD and digital copy.

Image: Amazon.com

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Movie: Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel * Official Site	In Theaters: Dec. 23, 2009
Runtime: 88 minutes	Directed by: Betty Thomas
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild rude humor	Gecko Rating:

After an onstage mishap lands Dave (Jason Lee) in the hospital, the Chipmunks end up in the care of his slacker cousin Toby (Zachary Levi). Alvin (Justin Long), Theodore (Jesse McCartney) and Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) attend school and discover girls, bullies, and peer pressure, as Alvin joins the football team and spends less time with his brothers.

More after the jump…

Meanwhile, the nefarious talent agent from the first movie, Ian (David Cross), returns and takes the new Chipettes (Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate) under his wing. Only his intentions are mainly to make money for himself. And things don’t go well when the Chipmunks and the Chipettes find themselves competing against each other in a school singing competition, in order to save the school’s music program.

This movie is cute and entertaining, especially the musical numbers, which include a take-off on Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” The songs are fun, the characters are likeable (except for Ian), and all of the issues involving the chipmunks and humans are resolved in the end. Zachary Levi is a great addition to the fold, and I can see more Chipmunk movies being made.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a fun movie you don’t have to think about, one that both kids and adults can just sit back and enjoy in all its silliness. And the chipmunks are just adorable.

NOTE TO PARENTS: The Chipettes include suggestive hip movements in their act. Boy and girl chipmunks flirt and have crushes on each other. Toby and a former schoolmate like each other. Some mildly scary scenes involve Theodore developing a fear of eagles, then running into a real one (but he overcomes the fear). Some bullying at school, including a toilet “swirly” scene. A greedy talent agent locks the Chipettes in a cage, but all is resolved in the end. Language includes one use of “junk in the trunk,” as well as words like “butt” and “big jerk.”

Images: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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Movie: The Princess and the Frog * Official Site	In Theaters: Dec. 11, 2009
Runtime: 97 minutes	Directed by: Ron Clements
MPAA Rating: G	Gecko Rating:

Just when you think there aren’t any good family movies being made anymore, along comes a gem like “The Princess and the Frog.” It’s got everything going for it, including a cast of colorful characters, a sweet old-fashioned story, snazzy musical numbers, and a cool Deep South setting.

The story, which is a modern-day retelling of the classic story, “The Frog Prince,” begins in New Orleans during the Jazz Age. Young Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) tags along with her mother, a seamstress at a wealthy man’s mansion. Tiana and the man’s daughter, Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), are close friends, even though they’re in much different classes in the Old South.

More after the jump…

At home, Tiana and her parents (Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard) live a poor life, but one that’s rich in friends and family, as they gather for a bowl of her dad’s famous gumbo on the porch. Tiana, too, is a wonderful cook, and she dreams of opening a classy restaurant some day.

Fast-forward about 20 years and Tiana is still holding fast to that dream, working several jobs and saving pennies to buy an old building she hopes to fix up for her restaurant.

But things go horribly awry when the arrogant, carefree Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) comes to town. He’s transformed into a frog by the evil voodoo magician Dr. Facilier (Keith David), but when the frog gets Tiana to kiss him (thinking she’s a princess), she herself turns into a frog! The two embark on a journey through the bayou in search of an old woman named Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis) who lives in a tree and might be able to reverse the spell.

Along the way, the pair cross paths with a trumpet-playing alligator named Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley) — I kept thinking about Baloo the Bear from “The Jungle Book” — a Cajun firefly (Jim Cummings), and several other fun characters.

What they don’t know, however, is that the Prince’s servant is back in the city working with the magician to marry Charlotte and inherit her father’s wealth.

It’s not often that I come across a family movie that I truly want to see again, but I would see “The Princess and the Frog” again in a heartbeat. It’s a fresh breeze of good, old-fashioned hand-drawn animation and human stories that motor along at just the right pace. It’s not 3D, which I appreciate, and it’s delightfully free of fast-paced car crashes and gross-out humor.

“The Princess and the Frog” is really just a sweet movie that both kids and adults will love.

Images: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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DVD: Santa Buddies * Official Site	On DVD: Nov. 24, 2009
Runtime: 88 minutes	Buy It: DVD / Blu-ray/DVD Combo
MPAA Rating: G	Gecko Rating:

They’re really milking everything they can out of these Buddies movies, aren’t they? But you know what? That’s ok. There’s a big audience for them, and even if they’re not the greatest movies in the world, they’re cute as all get out and kids love ‘em.

This one follows a familiar theme: People are losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas, and up at the North Pole, Santa and his trusty dog Santa Paws are worried that the Christmas icicle — the source of Christmas magic — is melting. You can kind of see where this is headed. Stick with me.

Meanwhile, Santa Paws’ young pup Puppy Paws can spread the word about the importance of Christmas to the younger generation, but he just wants to be a normal dog.

So he hitches a ride to Fernfield, Washington, and catches up with Budderball, B-Dawg, Rosebud, Mudbud, and Buddha to see what it’s like to be a normal dog. Puppy Paws is shocked that no one believes in Santa anymore. He also gets a rude awakening when Stan Cruge, the local dogcatcher, grabs him and locks him behind bars in the local pound. All the Buddies have to work together with a special dog named Tiny and an elf-dog from the North Pole to save Puppy Paws and re-ignite the town’s Christmas spirit.

More after the jump, including a super-cute scene…

Voice talent includes George Wendt as Santa (really, he’s still Norm from “Cheers”), as well as Christopher Lloyd, Josh Flitter, Zachary Gordon, and Kaitlyn Maher.

My kids are 12 and 15, so they sort of just laughed at the goofy storyline. But we loved it every time the dogs spoke and their little mouths moved (which is pretty much the entire movie). This is probably a good bet for kids aged 3 to 10 who love the other Buddies movies, and the message is good: Christmas is about giving, not getting. And even one person can make a difference.

Bonus features include three classic Christmas sing-along songs and Steve Rushton’s music video “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

Here’s our favorite scene from the movie. It’s super-cute!

Images: Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is a division of The Walt Disney Studios

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Lee Unkrich directs the Disney/Pixar movie, with a June 18, 2010 release date planned. Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, Michael Keaton, Tim Allen, Bonnie Hunt, Whoopi Goldberg, John Ratzenberger, Laurie Metcalf and a host of other stars lend their voices to the adorable toys.

My kids and I saw the double feature of “Toy Story” 1 and 2 in the theater recently, and the franchise definitely holds up over time. There are some movies that will never seem dated, because they focus on the characters and their relationships, rather than trendy stuff or special effects. Check out the trailer for “Toy Story 3.”

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Here’s a little clip from ReelzChannel with Robin Williams and Seth Green talking about working with gorillas. The movie opens in theaters on Wednesday and also stars John Travolta, Kelly Preston, and their daughter Ella Bleu. Check out their take on it, too.

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The animated movie opens Nov. 25, 2009, and stars George Clooney as the title character, a fox who’s dealing with three wealthy farmers who are none too happy about Mr. Fox feeding his family on their poultry.

The voice cast also includes Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman. Watch the trailer here.

Image: INF

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