The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild – A Wild Return to Adventures
Dive into the untamed world of The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. Explore the movie’s story, characters, animation, and legacy in this cinematic deep dive from The Film Nook.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is a 2022 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 based on a story written by Hecht. It is a spin-off film of the Ice Age franchise, and the sixth overall installment.
It takes place between Ice Age: Collision Course and Ice Age 6. The film stars the voices of Simon Pegg (the only previous cast member to return), Vincent Tong, Aaron Harris, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Justina Machado also starring in the film. It follows the two opossum 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 20th Century Animation and released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, it was released on January 28, 2022, as a Disney+ original film. The film received generally negative reviews from critics.
Plot
In an attempt to practice one of their extreme stunts, Crash and Eddie accidentally cause an avalanche and destroy the gang’s summer habitat, which later to Manny, Sid, Diego, and Ellie becoming upset at them, declaring they would not survive on their own. Wanting to prove them wrong, Crash and Eddie secretly leave their temporary camp while the others are asleep.
Finding them gone the next morning, Ellie insists that they go search for them. Meanwhile, Crash and Eddie stumble upon the entrance to the Lost World, a land inhabited with dinosaurs, and run into their old friend Buck, who saves them from raptors and tells them that a bipedal Protoceratops named Orson, who was ridiculed when he was young for having a massive brain, has escaped from exile and has come to conquer the Lost World. Buck tries to get Crash and Eddie back to their home, but finds out that Orson has covered the entrance with a boulder.
Buck and the possums go to Buck’s hideout, where Buck explains how he used to be part of an old team that established a watering hole as a place for animals to peacefully co-exist. He goes on to say that Orson did not accept an offer to join his team because he believed in a world where the strong dominate the weak, with him being the leader. Buck further explains that they defeated Orson and banished him to an island, where he learned that he can control two raptors with fire.
The two raptors find Buck’s hideout, but Zee, a zorilla who used to be part of Buck’s former team, saves Buck and the possums by using a gas to knock out the raptors. Orson then gets an army of raptors and attacks the watering hole, with Buck and Zee telling the animals to evacuate. Buck and Zee, their relationship strained after their team’s breakup, go with the possums to get help.
They arrive at the Lost Lagoon and summon their old friend Momma, a female Tyrannosaurus. When Orson and his raptors arrive and attack them again, Buck and Zee forgive each other for breaking up the old team 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, Manny, Sid, and Diego find out that Crash and Eddie entered the Lost World and uncover the entrance. They run into Momma, who gives them a ride to the watering hole, where Orson has taken Buck to feed his raptors, planning to use him as an example for anyone who refuses to follow his rules.
Zee and the possums free Buck and fight Orson and his army, with Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie, and Momma joining in the battle. Buck tries to explain to Orson that everyone needs to live in peace, but Orson arrogantly rebuffs him and continues to fight. After figuring out that Orson controls the raptors with fire, Crash and Eddie create a fire of their own and stop the raptors from fighting and make the two raptors chase Orson away instead, saving the Lost World.
Ellie, Manny, Sid, and Diego apologize to Crash and Eddie for doubting them and ask them to come home, but Crash and Eddie express that they want to stay in the Lost World with Buck and Zee. Sad to not be with them anymore yet proud to see that their adventure with Buck made them more mature, Ellie allows Crash and Eddie to stay and says goodbye, but Crash and Eddie still come to visit the gang often.
Cast
Simon Pegg at the premiere red carpet in Japan for Star Trek Beyond
Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar in ‘Tall Drink of Water’ Ep. Official Clip
Justina Machado at the ATX Television Festival presentation of the TV show “Queen of the South”
(left to right) Simon Pegg (pictured) is the only returning voice actor from the previous films, reprising his role as Buck Wild. Utkarsh Ambudkar and Justina Machado portray Orson and Zee respectively.
Simon Pegg as Buckminster “Buck” Wild: A one-eyed weasel and dinosaur hunter. Pegg reprised his role from the main Ice Age series films.
Utkarsh Ambudkar as Orson: A humanoid supremacist Protoceratops with a bulging brain who wants to take control of the Lost World.
Justina Machado as Zee: A striped polecat who was a former member of Buck’s superhero team.
Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris as Crash and Eddie, respectively: Twin prankster opossum brothers and Ellie’s adoptive brothers. They were originally voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck from the previous films.
Dominique Jennings as Ellie: A woolly mammoth, Manny’s wife, and Crash and Eddie’s adopted sister. She was originally voiced by Queen Latifah from the previous films.
Jake Green as Sid: A dim-witted ground sloth who is Manny and Diego’s best friend and the founder of the herd. He was originally voiced by John Leguizamo from the previous films.
Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes as Manny: A woolly mammoth who is Ellie’s husband, Sid and Diego’s best friend and the leader of the herd. He was originally voiced by Ray Romano from the previous films.
Skyler Stone as Diego: A smilodon who is Manny and Sid’s best friend and a member of the herd. He was originally voiced by Denis Leary from the previous films.
Additional voices include Theo Borders, Jason Harris, Kristin McGuire, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, Peter Pamela Rose, and Jason Linere White.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
A Cinematic Dive into Chaos, Comedy, and Courage in the Ice Age Universe
By The Film Nook
Prologue: The Roar of Return
It begins with a rumble. Not of glaciers, but of nostalgia—an echo from a franchise that first stampeded onto screens over two decades ago. With The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, the world carved by Scrat’s acorn and shaped by Manny’s herd returns once more—only this time, the spotlight falls on an unlikely hero: the one-eyed, swashbuckling, chaos-loving weasel named Buckminster Wild.
This latest spin-off in the Ice Age saga pulls us into a story that is both fresh and familiar, a tale teetering between prehistoric mayhem and heartfelt evolution. As the world of animation reshapes itself with every passing year, Buck Wild drags us back into the Lost World—not just physically, but emotionally.
Chapter One: Into the Wild
Our journey opens not with the usual trio, but with brothers Crash and Eddie—the rambunctious possums known more for slapstick than sense. Feeling stifled under the care of Ellie and the shadow of the older herd, the duo dreams of independence. And like any classic animated escapade, their craving for freedom catapults them into chaos.
Crash and Eddie find themselves tumbling—both literally and metaphorically—back into the Lost World, a perilous underground realm teeming with towering dinosaurs, uncharted dangers, and old allies. It’s here that they cross paths with Buck Wild, a weasel of few doubts and many monologues, voiced once again with gleeful eccentricity by Simon Pegg.
Buck’s reintroduction is grand, mad, and perfectly in line with his character. He swings in, monologues mid-air, and lands in a flurry of bad science and bravery. What ensues is a mission to thwart the villainous Orson—a super-intelligent, power-hungry dinosaur with a massive brain and an even bigger ego.
Chapter Two: The Visual Palette of Prehistory
The film, while not produced by Blue Sky Studios (which had been dissolved before its release), attempts to carry the torch of its predecessors. Visually, it opts for a simpler, more streamlined animation style. While it lacks the grandeur of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs or Continental Drift, it compensates with charm and exaggerated expressiveness.
Colors burst across the screen. The Lost World is more vibrant than ever—a jungle of impossible trees, glowing fungi, and creatures from the crevices of a forgotten Earth. Buck’s lair is cluttered with artifacts and gadgets, each with a story as wild as he is. The character designs skew toward caricature rather than realism, leaning into the slapstick tone that dominates the film.
Though some longtime fans may miss the detailed texture work and environmental depth of earlier films, there’s an undeniable whimsy in the way Buck Wild chooses to present itself—a return to Saturday morning cartoon energy.
Chapter Three: Buck Wild as a Hero Archetype
Buck Wild has always been a standout in the Ice Age series. Introduced in Dawn of the Dinosaurs, he was a whirlwind of chaos—a one-weasel army against the primordial unknown. In this film, Buck is both mentor and madman, a reluctant babysitter to Crash and Eddie, and a warrior on a mission.
This is Buck’s story as much as it is the possums’. We learn more about his past, his regrets, and his connection to Zee—a brave zorilla and former partner-in-peril. Their dynamic adds depth to Buck’s solitary persona, revealing the cost of his endless fight for justice in a world where logic is optional and danger is daily.
Buck’s brand of courage isn’t polished or profound. It’s messy, erratic, and profoundly human (despite being a weasel). He is the embodiment of eccentric heroism, a blend of Indiana Jones, Mad Hatter, and Steve Irwin—bouncing between brilliance and bonkers at every turn.
Chapter Four: Crash, Eddie, and the Evolution of Sidekicks
Traditionally, Crash and Eddie have been comic relief—living sound effects in a world of larger emotional stakes. But The Adventures of Buck Wild gives them room to grow. This is their coming-of-age tale, albeit told through banana peels and velociraptor chases.
Their need to break free from Ellie isn’t born from rebellion, but from a sincere yearning to discover who they are outside the herd. Along the way, they bungle plans, misinterpret signs, and accidentally help the enemy—but they also learn, adapt, and rise.
By the film’s end, they aren’t just background noise. They’ve earned their stripes as independent—if still slightly clueless—adventurers.
Chapter Five: Orson – Villain with a Brain
Every great hero story needs a memorable villain. Orson fits the bill—an evolved dinosaur with telekinetic powers, a history with Buck, and a mind far more dangerous than his muscles. Orson’s desire to bring order to the wild—a kingdom ruled by intelligence over instinct—is a twisted mirror of Buck’s own ideals.
Their rivalry taps into deeper themes: control versus chaos, intellect versus instinct, and the idea that civilization, in the wrong claws, can be just as destructive as raw nature.
Orson’s design—large-brained and lizard-like—evokes a sense of alien intelligence. He’s less comically evil than past Ice Age villains and more methodical, making his threats feel grounded even amid the movie’s zany tone.
Chapter Six: The Sound of the Wild
While the score by Batu Sener lacks the orchestral gravitas of John Powell’s work on earlier Ice Age films, it brings a sprightly rhythm that matches the energy of its cast. Jungle drums, quirky strings, and heroic brass fanfares underline each leap, fall, and fight with playful precision.
Sound design also plays a crucial role—each dinosaur’s roar, each slapstick tumble, each gadget malfunction is exaggerated for maximum comedic effect. It’s a film that thrives on auditory personality, and in that, it excels.
Chapter Seven: Legacy in the Ice
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is not the grandest entry in the franchise. It doesn’t aim for the emotional peaks of Ice Age: The Meltdown or the ensemble magic of Ice Age: Continental Drift. What it does offer is a spirited romp through chaos and character—a return to form in spirit, if not in scale.
For fans of Buck Wild, it’s a long-awaited solo spotlight. For new viewers, it’s a breezy, accessible adventure that doesn’t demand prior knowledge. And for the franchise itself, it’s a reminder that the world of Ice Age still holds stories worth telling—even if they’re told from the eyes of a half-mad, one-eyed weasel.
Epilogue: Wild and Worthwhile
At its core, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is about identity. About finding your place not in the safety of the herd, but in the untamed corners of the world where chaos and character collide. Whether it’s Crash and Eddie stepping into their own, or Buck choosing companionship over solitude, the film is a celebration of messy evolution.
It may not rewrite the animated rulebook, but it does what it sets out to do: entertain, energize, and echo the wild wonder that has kept Ice Age alive for generations.
peoples review (taken from goggle)
