Sid to now speak in Tamil and Telugu

Also dubbed in Hindi, Ice Age 4 will open in around 270 3D screens in India next month

Continental Drift, that marks the return of the pre-historic squirrel and his unconventional friends, opens on July 27.

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Directed by Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier, the film features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah. It will be one of the biggest releases among animated features in India. “We will release it in around 270 3D screens. It is the first animated film to be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu in addition to Hindi,” says Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios, pointing out that India has become an important and growing market for Hollywood. “It’s currently around nine per cent of the overall market.”

Singh admits that the genre hasn’t always worked in India, but the collections from Ice Age 3 (2009) and Rio (2011) have been encouraging. He says, “Before this, we’ve had successful animated films like Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and The Adventures Of Tintin (2011). Ice Age is the biggest franchise in India; our expectations are huge.” The fourth edition of the popular series promises bigger adventures in new islands and on the high seas.

It will also see the entry of some new characters. “The USP will still be the beloved trio of Manny, Diego and Sid. Sid finds his lost family that includes a hysterical new addition —his grandmother,” he says. A few months ago, the makers had released a promotional video on YouTube called The Scartist (to pay homage to the Oscar-winning film The Artist), which went viral.