There are more action and cuddly creatures for kids to love in this third adventure than in the animated franchise's first two installments. For parents, it's more of the same, a "Yawn of the Dinosaurs" adventure with some new faces and places but the same central characters rehashing the themes of the first two movies.

The worn-out idea the filmmakers have yet another crack at: Families can be found objects, stitched together from all sorts of misfits who bond to form their own loving little clan.

The main thing that distinguishes this movie from its predecessors is the setting as the gang of prehistoric animals journeys underground to a lost world of dinosaurs. Once again, the main players are Manny the woolly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), his wife, Ellie (Queen Latifah), Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) and Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo).

Sibling possums Crash and Eddie (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck) also tag along again. A new member of this extended family, one-eyed weasel Buck (Simon Pegg) steals the movie with his lively, looney patter and daring antics. But it's strictly a slapstick tale for the young ones.

PG for some mild rude humor and peril. 93 min. Two stars out of four.