The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild – A Distraction and Nothing More

Animated films have always resonated for a large portion of viewers. Most provide profound knowledge and lessons about life in a simplistic way. That being said, there can be more imaginative ways to tell a story. Many great stories have been told through animation that families can enjoy. When it comes to the entertainment industry, they tend to make franchises out of popular properties. The Ice Age franchise has generated countless films and other content over the years but it is not over yet with the latest entry, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. Going directly to Disney’s Disney+ streaming platform is definitely cause for concern on paper. While there are some lighthearted moments and some lessons to take away, the film falls flat and is unlikely to have any lasting impact.

Not perfect by any means, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild will surely have some viewers looking at the clock and waiting for it to end. Studios have often grinded out content merely to keep a franchise alive and this seemed to be the case here. The story itself is not original by any means, appearing countless times in countless better films. Nevertheless, the film will certainly work with younger viewers as its humor should land for them more so than older viewers. It’s over-the-top and silly while its jokes are targeted for younger audiences. Rather than a family film, it is a kids film and a good distraction for them to enjoy.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing which makes the fact that The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild stays away from the franchise’s main characters in Sid, Manny, and Diego disappointing. After so many films in, it does make sense to take the franchise to a different direction with new characters joining the only returning character, Buck Wild (Pegg). Though the filmmakers deserve some kudos for taking such a risk, the new characters never quite match up as Buck, Orson (Ambudkar), Zee (Machado), Crash (Vincent Tong), and Eddie (Aaron Harris), are let down by a subpar script. It is never grounded enough nor gives viewers enough reason to become invested in these new characters. While there are some sweet moments, they often felt rushed. Meanwhile, the film’s short running time of 80+ minutes will feel longer at times as it suffered from some major pacing issues.

In the end, this reviewer may not be in the main demographic of The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild but it will almost definitely be a home run for younger audiences. For an animated film, the animation also seemed like it needed more work and looked dated compared to other features in recent memory. The Ice Age franchise has always had a very distinct look and feel to it which made this film feel like even more of a departure. Though some may like this new style, it just didn’t work.

still courtesy of Disney

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Frederick Nuti