The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild Review: An unnecessary spin-off that should have been put on ice

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, the latest entrant to the two-decade-year-old Ice Age franchise, reminded me of the series' first two films and other hit animated films that came out during the late 90s and early 2000s. This isn't because of how warm and fun this film is but because of the archaic-looking visuals and movements of the characters that make up this rather insipid and futile film.

Cast: Simon Pegg, Aaron Harris, Vincent Tong, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Justina Machado

Director: John C. Donkin

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

We were introduced to Buckminster 'Buck' Wild, the daring and adventurous one-eyed weasel, in the third iteration, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009). The bold and daring Buck became a fan favourite. While the need for a standalone film for Buck is a question for another day, my biggest grouse with The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is how the titular hero has very little to do in this film. Instead, the film, unfortunately, is based on the trials and tribulations of Crash and Eddie, Ellie the Mammoth's adopted possum brothers. The duo, who fans of the franchise rarely cared about, want to leave the clan to live an independent life. Though it might have looked like a sweet coming-of-age story on paper, what I was subjected to was anything but. When fate lands Crash and Eddie at the Lost World (once again!), they are saved from the clutches of a couple of raptors by Buck (Simon Pegg) who explains how a riled protoceratops named Orson (Utkarsh Ambudkar) wants to take control of the Lost World. While the rest of the story is something, which even the youngest of the audience would figure out, the path they take is neither new nor entertaining. 

Right off the bat, the animation sticks out like a sore thumb and is miles behind anything being done at Walt Disney. Be it the story or the treatment, a lackadaisical approach is quite evident, and apart from Simon Pegg, none of the characters is voiced by those who did the part in the previous films. Speaking of Pegg, his voice acting is the silver lining in this trainwreck of a film. The actor-comedian isn't new to voice-acting and the experience is evident. It's not every day an animated character can pull off being married to a pineapple or father a pumpkin. If I had to list another reason for watching this film, it really did throw some occasional science facts at me that I wasn't aware of. Did you know that an adult mammoth weighs 15 tonnes? How about the fact that possums act dead when they are threatened and are actually immune towards snakebite? Are you aware of an animal named Zorilla? Only when you begin to believe that all hope isn't lost, the film tries to sell us the idea of how there should be harmony in the animal kingdom and not follow the survival of the fittest theory. Darwin must be rolling over in his grave! 

There isn't a sliver of creativity that surprises you in The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. We have a villain in the form of Orson who was bullied when he was young for having a massive brain and he has come back for revenge. Not only is the idea one of the oldest in the book but the concept of 'brainy'  being a supervillain trait is something we have seen in multiple animated characters like Mojo Jojo from The Powerpuff Girls, The Brain from Pinky and the Brain, and Megamind. If that's not enough, the final nail for me was how the most favourite character from the franchise, Scrat, wasn't a part of the film. An Ice Age film without Scrat is the equivalent of watching Titanic that was made on land. A bit of googling showed how Disney lost the rights to the character following a trademark dispute and if that's not a sign as to why it's high time this franchise needs to be ended, it leaves you to wonder a lot!

On the whole, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is a film strictly made for children and those who still feel falling down holes, smashing into boulders and flatulence are solid humour troupes. The film lacks the banter and fun, which made the franchise a household name, and what we end up with is a debacle that should have been left in cold storage.