Talent from The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, streaming on Disney+ January 28, joined Mama’s Geeky to talk about the newest Ice Age film.
Participating talent:
- Simon Pegg as the voice of Buck Wild
- Voice actress Justina Machado as the voice of Zee
- Director John C. Donkin
- Executive producer Lori Forte
Spinning Off
The character of Buck Wild was first introduced in the third Ice Age adventure, 2009’s Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Now, in 2022, The Ice Adventures of Buck Wild is the franchise’s first spin-off film.
“It felt like he deserves his own movie,” said executive producer Lori Forte. “The character himself is so iconic. He’s clever, he’s an adventurer, he’s a swashbuckler, he’s a protector and guardian of the lost world. We love going on adventures with him because he’s not afraid of anything.”
Simon Pegg was more than happy to voice the character again, mentioning that he’s been dropping hints about giving Buck the spotlight for 12 years, and expanding the world through Buck. “The great thing about this is that the Ice Age story has so many fabulous characters in it,” said Pegg. “This is the era of cinematic universe. I don’t think there’s another animation which is more suited to expansion like this.”
The Project Coming Together
Forte, who’s been involved with Ice Age as a producer since the first film in 2002, mentioned it was the time to really bring Buck back.
“I think it’s just been a while since we saw him,” said Forte. “When we’re looking to come back and tell a story, it felt so natural to go back to the lost world.”
Lori also talks about that, when the first film was being researched, someone from the Museum of Natural History told them not to put mammoths and dinosaurs in the same film, because they lived millions of years apart. Their way around that in Dawn of the Dinosaurs was the lost world.
“We came up with a mythology that created a world underneath our feet,” said Forte. “Maybe [dinosaurs]didn’t all go extinct during the asteroid hit, maybe some went underground and actually survived.”
“With Buck living there for far too long, he has no real relationships,” said Forte. “His relationships are with inanimate objects.”
A new character, one called Zee (voiced by Justina Machado) helped with that loneliness, while adding to Buck’s backstory. “There’s some history between the two of them and we start to reveal that through the course of the movie,” said director John C. Donkin.
It was also cool for Pegg seeing a picture of Zee for the first time. “It was really exciting because it’s like another Buck,” he said. “I know she’s a Zorilla, but she’s totally his equal as a sort-of of counterpart to him in so many brilliant ways.”
Related: The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild Team Explains Why Buck?
On Creating Zee and Playing Zee
In character design, director John C. Donkin added that, on top of developing the voice, they also had to develop the character physically and figure out how she moves. “I always wanted her to be graceful and powerful,” said Donkin. “I would actually say to the animators, ‘And then she Simone Biles’ her way down.’ We looked at gymnastics and so she’s very physically able.”
“I can’t even do a cartwheel,” said Machado. “It was nice to see myself on camera doing all of these things I could never do in real life.”
Lori Forte added that the more they got to know Justina, the more they started taking traits from her. “Like her strength and personality,” said Forte.
“That’s the great thing about animation,” Machado agreed. “Even though you’re not looking at yourself – I’m seeing a zorilla – I see Justina in there somewhere.”
Simon Pegg On Playing Buck Again, and Family
Pegg also talked about getting back into playing Buck again. “Buck’s very much part of my muscle memory now,” he said. “I just have to get a lot of sleep before sessions because they’re always extremely energetic and Buck is just full-on all the time.”
“I do love Buck,” said Pegg. “I have a very strong affection for him, not least because he was born the same year my daughter was born. The first time I played Buck was the year [2009] my kid was born, and she’s grown up with these movies and with him.
“And, weirdly, as this new Ice Age instalment comes out, my sister just gave birth this week. So there’s a new Ice Age baby to take the stories forward. It’s nothing but a joy to play Buck because it has all this kind-of emotional resonance for me personally in my own family.”
John D. Conkin talked about that theme of family, which has been central to the franchise since the first film, and the character of Sid the Sloth saying, “We’re the weirdest herd ever.”
“Once you’re in a herd and you have that connection, it’s okay if there’s some physical separate separation between you, because there’s always going to be shared love and support.”
Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has made this story more resonant. “So many of us are separated and isolated from family members and can’t just go and see them whenever we want,” said Conkin. “I think that will be a reminder to everybody that you have connection with family, and it’s important.”
Asking For Help When You Need It
One thing about Buck that interested Pegg the most was Buck learning about asking for help.
“Buck is so used to doing everything by himself, that the idea of relying on his friends or trusting someone to do something else, is a little bit uncomfortable for him,” started Pegg. “He learns that it’s not only okay to ask for help, but it’s also okay to ask for help, as a guy, from your female friends, and to trust them to take over.
“Buck goes on a real journey. A lot of guys growing up are taught not to ask for help because it seemed unmanly, which is terribly damaging. Buck understood that it’s okay to lean on people, it’s okay to ask for help. And to trust the people around you. Your herd.”
These are all messages families can take away from these films, as Pegg calls them “beautiful.”
“It makes them feel very rich and nuanced, but it’s just enormous fun,” said Pegg. “It’s ridiculously silly. It’s relentlessly funny. But all of that doesn’t mean anything unless it’s founded in something meaningful and real.”
About The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild continues the hilarious escapades of everyone’s favorite prehistoric mammals. Desperate for some distance from their older sister Ellie, the thrill-seeking possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to find a place of their own, but quickly find themselves trapped in a massive cave underground.
They are rescued by the one-eyes, adventure-loving, dinosaur-hunting weasel, Buck Wild, and together they must face the unruly dinosaurs who inhabit the Lost World.
Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild is streaming on Disney+now.
Daniel Prinn is a film critic and freelance writer from Canada. He loves most genres of film and especially horror but has a soft spot for films from the 2000’s. When he isn’t writing, he can be found podcasting, as he is a host for his own interview show called The Filmcraziest Show on YouTube and at his site Filmcraziest.com.