Ergonia, Land of the Giant Ants

Two teenage boys, Peter and Vaskin, and their friend, Masha, convince Vashkin's professorial father to let them accompany his expedition to an unexplored region of Antarctica called Ergonia.
Their mission: discover if life exists below the mysterious cloud cover on Ergonia's Mount Erebus, the tallest mountain in the world at 22, 000 feet.

Shortly after arrival, Masha is captured by an unknown civilization of giant five-million-year-old ants that practice prehistoric rituals.
The expedition, led by the inventiveness of the two boys, identifies a rescue plan with the help of brightly-colored tic tac candies.

Ultimately, the entire team escapes and memorializes the extraordinary adventure for history.