Watch and Read: Chilling Out with the Ice Age Gang

Manny the woolly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) return in the fourth installment of a series of computer-animated comedies from Blue Sky Studios and 20^th Century Fox. Ice Age: Continental Drift(PG) premieres in theaters on July 13, in 3D, 2D, and IMAX 3D formats. Scrat (Chris Wedge), that ever-determined but hapless prehistoric squirrel, is still in hot pursuit of the tantalizing acorn that continues to remain beyond his reach, but this time his seemingly small actions have cataclysmic results, causing continents to crack apart and shift.

Back at the herd, Manny and his mate Ellie (Queen Latifah) are struggling to bridge the emotional gap that now divides them from their independent-minded teenage daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer), while Sid, abandoned by his family long ago, suddenly finds himself reunited with his crotchety grandmother (Wanda Sykes). When the ground beneath their feet breaks apart and Manny, Sid, and Diego are separated from the others, the steadfast mammoth will do anything to get back to his family, navigating dangerous seas and even taking on a motley band of animal pirates. The cast also includes Jennifer Lopez as Shira, the swash-buckling saber-tooth cat who catches the eye-and heart-of Diego, and Peter Dinklage as the ruthless prehistoric orangutan brigand, Captain Gutt.

Kids can visit the official website for a look at the movie’s sharp-looking animation, madcap humor, and fast-paced action. Video clips include film previews along with a couple of entertaining shorts featuring the acorn-chasing antics of Scrat. The “Characters” section provides bios of the now familiar critters and the new additions, each presented along with an image and audio quote. A “Walk the Plank” online game challenges users to bounce item-filled ice cubes from pirate ship to island haven by manipulating an ice floe manned by Manny and friends.

Book Tie-ins

HarperCollins presents a collection of Continental Drift titles, all featuring movie photos of the characters on both front and back covers. Arrayed in dazzling shades of blue and deep purple, the images emphasize the crystalline backdrops of ice, sky, and sea and set the tone for the adventure. Two staple-bound picture books (PreS-Gr 2) encourage film viewers to re-visit different aspects of the tale. Did Scrat Do That? opens with the prehistoric squirrel slamming a hard-won acorn into the icy tundra to try and hide it…and the earth-shattering consequences, then succinctly traces the heroes’ resulting separation from their herd and iceberg-bound escapades. The Pack Is Back! introduces the diverse creatures and personalities that make up Manny’s extended family, briefly touching upon movie happenings to incorporate the new cast members. Sprinkled with dialogue and descriptive details, the narratives are illustrated throughout with handsome, crisply reproduced film photos depicting the characters and their escapades.

Two “I Can Read!” (Level 2) titles (K-Gr 2) relate the plot in a format that will support beginning readers and also appeal to the read-aloud crowd. Manny’s Big Adventure is recounted with an emphasis on the mammoth’s impasse with his eye-rolling daughter, the trials and tribulations he faces on the high seas, and his driving desire to be reunited with loved ones. Also underscoring the importance of family, Best Friends covers the bare bones of the story while re-acquainting readers with the main characters and their relationships, and introducing the newcomers. Incorporating simple language and sentence structure, the texts are illustrated with film images that provide visual details, depict the action, and add zing. Emergent readers will be helped along by their familiarity with the characters and movie plot, and their desire to once again see the events play out.

The Junior Novel (Gr 3-6) entices film fans with a colorful movie-poster-style cover: two ship-shaped icebergs facing off bow to bow, the ragtag pirate crew on one and a resolute Manny and his mates on the other, with Scrat posed on an ice floe between them brandishing his acorn. The narrative provides a lively and easy-to-follow recap of the plot, filled with fast-moving action, snappy dialogue, and spot-on comic timing. Transitions between the adventures of Manny and company and those of Ellie and the herd back on land are clearly presented and well-integrated into the storytelling. Straightforward language, an invitingly open layout, and chapters that end on a note of suspense will keep newly confident readers turning pages. Chapter numbers are printed on an acorn silhouette, and eight pages of captioned full-color movie photos showcase the characters and plot highpoints. A breezy read, appropriate for independent readers or sharing aloud with younger children.

Publication Information

MAYER, Kirsten. Ice Age: Continental Drift: Did Scrat Do That? pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210477-9; eBook $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210478-6.

_____. Ice Age: Continental Drift: The Pack Is Back! pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210479-3; eBook $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210480-9.

BRIGHT, J. E. Ice Age: Continental Drift: Manny’s Big Adventure. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210481-6; eBook $4.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210482-3.

_____. Ice Age: Continental Drift: Best Friends. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210483-0; eBook $4.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210484-7.

KORMAN, Susan, adapt. Ice Age: Continental Drift: The Junior Novel. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210485-4; eBook $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210486-1.

ea vol: HarperCollins. 2012.

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