It's here: The first of three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" lands in theaters this week. If you're not interested in returning to Middle-Earth, there's a fun kids' movie on home video and an engrossing Beatles documentary on PBS.

TUESDAY: 'Ice Age: Continental Drift'
Pirates, wooly mammoths, and more, oh my. The fourth "Ice Age" movie is no "Toy Story," but it's still a fun romp for kids who love the prehistoric beasts. In this one, Manny the mammoth gets separated from his wife and daughter as the continents do their infamous crack-up. Thankfully, he's surrounded by pals, including Sid the sloth and Diego the saber-toothed tiger, as he tries to reunite with his family. Oh, and Scrat the saber-toothed squirrel is still hunting that acorn. (On home video Dec. 11.)

FRIDAY: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'
If you named your son Thorin, have a wedding-ring inscription done in Elvish, or flunked out of college because you spent so many hours hand-painting your D&D orc character, you've been looking forward to this one for a while now. Peter Jackson has returned to Middle-Earth with the first of three films from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Three films made more sense with the "Lord of the Rings," which was a three-volume work anyway -- but breaking Bilbo Baggins' journey into three films means more hours to savor for fans, more money for the studios. In "Unexpected Journey," unassuming Hobbit Bilbo gets recruited for the journey of a lifetime and sets off on his hairy feet, with plenty of familiar characters (Gandalf, yay! Gollum, yuck!) to see him through. (Opens Dec. 14.)

FRIDAY: "Magical Mystery Tour Revisited'
Roll up, and that's an invitation! The Beatles' 1967 film, "Magical Mystery Tour," perplexed many of even the band's most devoted fans. Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were among those who were interviewed for this look at the controversial and surreal film that many Beatlemaniacs have still never seen. After "Revisited" airs on "Great Performances," a fully restored version of the film itself will be shown. (Dec. 14, 9 p.m., PBS.)

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REVIEW: Pixar and its magical movies have spoiled moviegoing parents. Their films are so good, and work for so many age groups, that it's easy to forget that not every film for kids has to also entertain Grandma or Dad. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" is the fourth fim in the animated series, and while it never glimpses Pixar level, it'll do for young kids. And we mean young -- my four-year-old daughter and her friend were the perfect audience.

If you've seen any of the previous "Ice Age" films, you know the drill. Ray Romano voices the somewhat whiny woolly mammoth patriarch, Manny. John Leguizamo plays a dimwitted Sid the sloth, and Denis Leary's most-un-cartoonish voice comes out of Diego, the saber-toothed tiger.

There's always a parallel plot involving the frantic saber-toothed squirrel, Scrat, and his ill-advised pursuit of an acorn. Here, he breaks up the supercontinent and splits Manny and Sid's families in the process. For the rest of the movie, Manny, Sid and Diego struggle to get back to Manny's wife, Ellie, and daughter, Peaches. There's a brief storyline about Peaches wanting to be popular and ditching her lifelong pal to hang out with the cool teen mammoths, but it's not very interesting.  Let's just say Peaches is no Molly Ringwald and her little molehog friend is no Duckie Dale.

The best part of "Ice Age: Continental Drift" for grown-ups is trying to identify the various voices. Look for Jennifer Lopez as a sexy potential mate for Diego, and Peter Dinklage sounds nothing like Tyrion Lannister in his role as a creepy pirate ape who tries to conquer our heroes for no real apparent reason. But mostly, the film is frantic and slapsticky, the characters lacking heart and individuality. If you're a parent who's seen a lot of recent kid movies, you may find yourself mixing up these ice-dwelling animals with the penguins and seals of the "Happy Feet" series, which at least has dancing and music to liven things up.

Another problem with "Ice Age: Continental Drift" is that it's in 3-D. Thus tickets are more expensive and many kids hate to wear the special glasses, putting two strikes against it.

There's also a brief "Simpsons" short shown before the film. "The Longest Daycare" features voiceless Maggie, the least interesting Simpson.

Don't expect "Ice Age: Continental Drift" to make a whole lot of sense. "We fought dinosaurs in the Ice Age, it didn't make sense, but it sure was fun," says one character. Well, not a lot of fun. A little fun. If you're four.

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With three huge hits in the “Ice Age” film franchise already behind them, why did the cast risk their perfect record for a fourth movie, “Ice Age: Continental Drift”? The answer to that depends on who you ask.

Stars Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, and John Leguizamo stopped by Studio 1A Monday morning and each gave their own reason for going back to the ice.

“It’s the billions of dollars it continues to gross,” joked Latifah, who voices the part of maternal mammoth Ellie.

But for Leguizamo, the man behind the not-so-slow sloth Sid, plot trumped profit.

“It was a really tight script” he told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie. “Pirates -- we get kidnapped! There’s a lot of adventure. J.Lo joins us. I mean, you got to sign up for that.”

Romano was all too happy to resume the role of Manny the mammoth once more, as long as it meant he didn’t have to show his own face on screen.

“Well, as you get older…” he drifted off while considering the benefits of hiding behind an animated character. “You can do it in your pajamas. It’s fun -- not only to get into as an actor, but where else you gonna get into these situations? Not in live-action.”

But just because the summer movie isn’t live-action doesn’t mean it isn’t somewhat real. In fact, according to Romano, Manny’s life mirrors his own.

“Manny has been living where I’m living,” he explained. “In this movie, he has a daughter who’s becoming her own person and wants to branch out. It’s very organic to what I’m going through. My daughter just graduated college, and yeah, it’s all real.”

Getting real with Romano and company this time around will be a few new ice-agers. In addition to Jennifer Lopez, Peter Dinklage, Nicki Minaj and Wanda Sykes join the core cast for “Continental Drift.”

“Ice Age: Continental Drift” opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.

Are you excited to see the latest adventure from Manny and the gang? Do you think the franchise should continue beyond the fourth film? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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