Perhaps inspired by its title, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” manages to drift by on its pedigree.

This fourth installment of the animated series centering on prehistoric animals just sort of sits on the screen, going through the motions for 90 minutes or so. It’s neither good nor bad and, unless you are under the age of 8, you’ll likely forget it by the time you get home.

This chapter finds Manny (voiced by Ray Romano), Diego (Denis Leary) and Sid (John Leguizamo) separated from Manny’s wife (Queen Latifah) and daughter (Keke Palmer) when the continent begins to break up.

Lost at sea, Manny, Diego and Sid are determined to get home until a pirate gang led by an ape named Gutt (voiced by Peter Dinklage) provides a bit of a wrinkle in the trio’s plans.

Dinklage is one of a handful of voices added to the cast, along with Jennifer Lopez and Wanda Sykes, as it appears the filmmakers are, in fact, trying to use every working actor on the planet at some point in these films.

Even with all these voices, no one really stands out.

As for the story, well, it’s at the point now that if you’ve seen one “Ice Age,” you’ve pretty much seen them all. It’s clear those involved here are just playing it safe, sticking to the formula that – to their credit – has made them a lot of money.

The lone bright spot remains the uptight squirrel Scrat and his quest for an acorn that resembles a Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoon. When Scrat is on the screen, the film gets a small jolt of life – just a hint of something that may have actually appealed to more than the youngest of audience members.

If you plan on seeing “Continental Drift,” I recommend seeing it in 3-D. Not for anything the film offers, mind you, but because it comes with a Maggie Simpson short that is 100 times better than the actual feature presentation.

DVD dandy of the week

This week’s dandy is “The Three Stooges” (B-) – an adaptation of the popular shorts from Bobby and Peter Farrelly that is actually better than you might expect.

“Three Stooges” centers on the familiar trio of Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Curly (Will Sasso), who are dropped at an orphanage as infants and raised by nuns (who include Jane Lynch and Larry David).

When the orphanage’s fate is in doubt due to back taxes, the Stooges set out to save their beloved home – only to discover a world unlike anything they’ve ever seen.

The trailer looked dreadful, so my expectations were very low coming in. Much to my surprise, however, the Farrelly brothers and the three leads make it work.

You can tell the Farrellys are fans of the original shorts – they are very respectful to that material.

It’s all quite simple, with plenty of sight gags and puns aimed at the 10-year-old boy in all of us. Sure, there are moments when I groaned, but there are plenty of laughs to be had as well – especially if you are a fan of the Stooges.

The three leads should be commended as well. They perfectly capture the dopey innocence of the characters with some rather impressive mimicry of the iconic characters. The biggest surprise is Hayes, of “Will and Grace” fame. His Larry is pitch perfect.

“The Three Stooges” won’t appeal to everyone, so here is your litmus test. If you don’t think it would be funny to see Moe eye-poke, punch and slap the entire cast of “Jersey Shore,” then you might want to stay away. If, like me, you find it funny, then “The Three Stooges” is the movie for you.

“The Three Stooges” is rated PG for slapstick action violence, and some rude and suggestive humor including language and is available on DVD.