| The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John C. Donkin |
| Screenplay by | Jim Hecht William Schifrin Ray DeLaurentis |
| Story by | Jim Hecht |
| Based on | Characters by Michael J. Wilson |
| Produced by | Denise L. Rottina |
| Starring | Simon Pegg Vincent Tong Aaron Harris Utkarsh Ambudkar Justina Machado |
| Edited by | Braden Oberson |
| Music by | Batu Sener |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Disney+ |
Release date | January 28, 2022 |
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is a 2022 American computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by John C. Donkin, in his feature directorial debut, with a screenplay by Jim Hecht, Ray DeLaurentis, and William Schifrin. It is a spin-off of the Ice Age franchise, a standalone sequel to Ice Age: Collision Course and the sixth installment overall. The film stars the voices of Simon Pegg reprising his role as Buck Wild with the voices of Vincent Tong, Aaron Harris, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Justina Machado also starring in the film. It follows the two possum brothers Crash and Eddie and their adventure to becoming independent possums alongside the titular character Buck Wild.
Originally planned to be a television series, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild was redeveloped into a feature-length film. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and 20th Century Animation, it was released on January 28, 2022, as a Disney+ original film. It has received generally negative reviews from critics who have criticized its recasting of voice actors, lack of primary focus on the titular character, animation quality, the absence of Scrat, and the decision to continue the franchise without the involvement of Blue Sky Studios, although Pegg's performance received some praise.
Plot[]
Concerned about the two possums Crash and Eddie, Ellie, their adoptive woolly mammoth sister, calls for them, but they refuse to listen, calling themselves independent possums. They accidentally cause an avalanche and destroy the gang's summer home. Manny, Ellie's husband, gets angry with Crash and Eddie for their recklessness and irresponsibility, with him and the rest of the herd declaring they would not survive on their own. Wanting to prove them wrong, Crash and Eddie sneak out and leave the new camp. Finding Crash and Eddie gone the next day, Ellie insists that they leave to go find them. Crash and Eddie stumble upon the entrance to the Lost World, a land full of dinosaurs, and quickly get in trouble with two raptors trying to eat them. Breaking away, they run into Buck Wild, who helps them escape and tells them that a Protoceratops named Orson, who was bullied when he was young for having a massive brain, has escaped from exile and has come to conquer over the Lost World. Buck tries to get Crash and Eddie back to their home, but figures out a boulder is covering the entrance to the Lost World. Orson appears and says that he sealed the exit.
Buck and the possums escape and go to Buck's hideout, where Buck explains how he used to be part of an old squad that established the watering hole for animals to peacefully co-exist. He goes on to say that Orson did not accept to join his squad, because he believed in a world where the strong dominate the weak with him being the leader of them all. Buck further explains that because his squad stood in Orson's way, the latter tried to get rid of them, but they defeated him, banishing him to exile on Lava Island. With no one knowing how he escaped, Orson figures out that he can control two raptors on the island with fire.
Later, the two raptors find Buck's hideout, but Zee, a zorilla who used to be part of Buck's former squad, saves them by using a gas to knock out the raptors. Orson, seeing that two raptors is not enough to capture Buck, goes to find more. Orson and his new army of raptors attack the watering hole with Buck and Zee telling the animals to evacuate the area. Buck and Zee, tense with each other after the squad broke up, head to get help along with the possums. They arrive at Lost Lagoon and summon their old friend Momma, a Tyrannosaurus Rex. While Momma is knocked out because of a toothache they pull, Orson and his raptors arrive and attack them. Buck and Zee forgive each other for breaking up the old gang and agree to work together. Acting as a diversion, Buck is captured by Orson, allowing the others to escape.
Trying to figure out how Orson controls the raptors, Zee and the possums devise a plan to get Buck back. Ellie and the others figure out that Crash and Eddie entered the Lost World and uncover the entrance. They run into Momma, who tells them Crash and Eddie are in danger. Zee and the possums free Buck and with the help of the others, they continue to fight Orson and his army. Buck tries to explain to Orson that everyone needs to live in peace, but Orson arrogantly denies him and continues to fight. Figuring out Orson controls the raptors with fire, Crash and Eddie create a fire of their own and stop the raptors from fighting and save the Lost World. The raptors, upset with Orson, chase him away.
Ellie and the others apologize to Crash and Eddie and ask them to come home, but Crash and Eddie express that they want to stay in the Lost World with Buck and Zee. Saddened by their decision, Ellie allows them to stay and they say goodbye, but Crash and Eddie would still come to visit them often.
Cast[]
Main article: List of Ice Age characters
- Simon Pegg as Buckminster "Buck" Wild: A one-eyed weasel and dinosaur hunter.
- Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris as Crash and Eddie: Twin prankster possum brothers who are the adopted brothers of Ellie.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Orson: A villainous Protoceratops with a bulging brain who wants to take control of the Lost World.
- Justina Machado as Zee: A zorilla who was a former member of Buck's superhero team.
- Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes as Manny: A woolly mammoth who is the husband of Ellie and the leader of the herd.
- Jake Green as Sid: A dim-witted ground sloth and the founder of the herd.
- Skyler Stone as Diego: A saber-tooth tiger who is the member of the herd.
- Dominique Jennings as Ellie: A woolly mammoth, the wife of Manny, and the adoptive sister of Crash and Eddie.
Additional voices include Theo Borders, Jason Harris, Kristin McGuire, Shakira Ja'nai Paye, Peter Pamela Rose, and Jason Linere White.
Production[]
Development[]
In June 2016, when asked about the possibility of a potential sixth film, Ice Age: Collision Course co-director Galen Tan Chu said there were some ideas for the next installment. In August 2018, 20th Century Fox CEO Stacey Snider announced the development of a television series centered around the character of Buck with Blue Sky Studios. On October 25, 2019, seven months after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the project was confirmed to still be in development for Disney+. On March 11, 2020, Disney relinquished all of its’ remaining trademarks to Scrat after reaching a new settlement with Ivy Supersonic, who had been involved in various lawsuits and protests regarding the status of the character's trademarks.
In December 2020, the project was confirmed to have been redeveloped as a film titled Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild, centering around Buck going on an adventure in the Dinosaur World with Crash and Eddie. Simon Pegg was reported to be reprising his role as Buck. However, Seann William Scott and Josh Peck, who voiced Crash and Eddie in previous films, did not return, and Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris were cast as their replacements.
Blue Sky was closed on April 10, 2021, and consequently, many of their upcoming projects were canceled. Despite this, production on Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild continued. On January 14, 2022, director John C. Donkin and executive producer Lori Forte said that Blue Sky was never involved in the film. Unlike the previous Ice Age films released by 20th Century Fox and produced by 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky, the film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures.
Animation[]
The animation was outsourced to Bardel Entertainment in Vancouver. Bardel had previously collaborated with Disney and 20th Century Animation on Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021). Around 80 people were involved in the creation of The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. Almost all the production was done remotely which led Donkin to never having a meeting with the entire team. Donkin said, "It was a pretty lean crew. But yet, everybody was able to really concentrate and work hard from their homes." He also said that they finished production on the movie in late 2020.
Music[]
Batu Sener composed the musical score. The soundtrack was released on January 28, 2022, by Hollywood Records and Walt Disney Records.
Release[]
The film was released in the United States and Canada on January 28, 2022, on Disney+.
Reception[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
Courtney Howard of Variety gave the film a negative review, saying how the story's focus is on the major characters of the previous Ice Age films, rather than solely on the titular Buck. She also points out the problematic disability representation and how the animation is "akin to a late-stage pre-viz pass", ending the review saying that the film "should've remained on ice." Natalia Winkleman of The New York Times said that she was disappointed to see the film replace almost all of its celebrity voices and stated that of all the "sins" in the movie, the omission of Scrat was unforgivable. Giving the film a D+, The A.V. Club's Jesse Hassenger compared it to Disney's other direct-to-video sequels, saying: "The new direct-to-streaming Ice Age sequel is a generic chunk of content." Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing: "Visually and storytelling-wise it's not a cut above much of what kids can watch on TV these days. This is a franchise that looks like it's slowly going the way of the dinos, while we drool." Laura Miller from The Michigan Daily wrote that she was somewhat disappointed in the cast change and the "elementary plot", but said that she was most upset that the film was not made for the same audience as the past Ice Age films.
Sequel[]
The film's promotional kit mentions another Ice Age film that is in development, with the script being penned by Ray DeLaurentis. Lori Forte discussed the possibility of another film, saying, "I think it's a little premature. We hope that people will respond to this, and that will promote us to be able to do another movie. If the audiences want it, we've got plenty of ideas. There's no end to ideas and adventures and characters, so we're ready if they're ready."
Notes[]
- ^ The film was originally in-production at 20th Century Studios, but was changed to a Walt Disney Pictures release before completion.