Anthomation Assesses: The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild

Howdy guys, Anthomation here. Today I shall review ANOTHER Ice Age film: The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is a 2022 animated film. It is a stand-alone spin-off of the Ice Age franchise. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it was released as a Disney+ original film on January 28, 2022. The film received generally negative reviews from critics. 

Eager for a little independence, the thrill-seeking possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to find a place of their own but soon find themselves trapped beneath the ice in a massive cave inhabited by dinosaurs. They are rescued by the one-eyed, adventure-loving weasel Buck Wild, and together, with the help of some new friends, embark on a mission to save the Lost World from dinosaur domination.

God, does that synopsis sound pathetic or what? I mean, this story has already been told over and over again in better ways. There is no reason for this movie to even exist and it is none more prominent than in this sorry excuse of a narrative. It is so unengaging for kids, let alone their parents. In fact, I think most parents would be willing to leave their little ones alone on the living room couch just to escape this atrocity. The movie is so tired of itself that it literally repeats scenes from previous Ice Age films. The opening narration just gives a full recap of the entire franchise, thinking that their audience is completely brain-dead. It also repeats the scene of Ellie being found by Crash and Eddie from Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006). At least it was less than an hour-and-a-half long, so the suffering didn’t feel like an eternity.

While the story might be the most rushed part of the movie, the animation is the most insulting part. What Disney did to Blue Sky is absolutely shameful. Not only did they shut the studio down, but they took their most successful franchise and made it into an even bigger mockery than it already was. We went from theatrical level animation on the previous five films to direct-to-streaming animation in this film. The rendering looks like something out of a 2010’s video game. The character models are so unappealing, as they feel less like real animals and more like robust animatronics. The backgrounds leave a lot to be desired, with little color and flair. This is as low quality as it gets.

The characters are as dull as can be. Buck (voiced by Simon Pegg), is a shell of his former self, with unfunny jokes and line deliveries. And the rest of the characters do not even move the needle. There is Crash and Eddie (voiced by Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris, respectively), the twin prankster possum brothers who are the adopted brothers of Ellie. There’s Zee (voiced by Justina Machado), a zorilla who was a former, and the only other surviving member of Buck’s superhero team. And then there’s Orson (voiced by Utkarsh Ambudkar), a villainous dwarf protoceratops with a bulging brain who wants revenge against Buck. This is of course with reappearances from Manny, Sid, Diego, and Ellie. None of the original voice actors returned for this feature because they were aware of how much of a waste of time this would be. In fact, Simon Pegg was the only returning voice actor. And it really shows. It seems like everyone just gave a minimal effect into their performances. Instead of trying to convey convincing emotions, they were thinking about their paycheck. 

Just when I thought Collision Course (2016) was the ultimate low for the franchise, I was introduced to this hot pile of trash. From the story, animation, and characters, everything was executed at a poor level. On the Disney+ PR page, it was revealed that a SIXTH Ice Age film is in development. Disney, please hear my pleas! STOP making Ice Age films!

Score:

2.5/10