"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" failed to thaw the cold-hearted movie critics, most of whom dismissed this third film in the franchise. The movie merited only 51 at Meta Critic and just 33 among the top tier of reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes. While the movie is sure to make millions in the coming days and weeks, it is unlikely to figure in many film awards at year's end.

In 2002, the original "Ice Age" was quite well-received. It scored 77 at Rotten Tomatoes and contended for the second ever Oscar for best animated feature. "Ice Age" lost that race to "Spirited Away."  That was the only year when there were five nominees for this award, as more than 15 animated features had been released. All other years have seen only three animated movies in contention.

The first sequel – "Ice Age: The Meltdown" – came out in 2006. It dropped a notch in critics' eyes, earning only 62 at Rotten Tomatoes and 58 at Meta Critic. That year "Happy Feet" won the animated film Oscar over "Cars" and "Monster House." "Ice Age: The Meltdown" lost all five of its Annie Award bids just as the original "Ice Age" had been blanked with this group that salutes the best of animated movies despite seven nods.