Two opossums, Crash and Eddie, decide to run away from their mammoth sister Ellie and start an independent life, but accidentally end up in the underground world of dinosaurs. Lost in the labyrinths of the kingdom, the heroes meet an old acquaintance, the weasel-adventurer Buck, who has several personalities living in his head. The characters must not only unite, but also stop a dangerous enemy - the dinosaur Orson, who dreams of settling old scores with the fluffy adventurer.
Frame from the animated film “Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild”
The release of the sixth “Ice Age” in 2022 was expected: twenty years have passed since the appearance of the first cartoon - it is necessary to somehow celebrate the beautiful date. It was decided to put one of the brightest characters of the franchise, the weasel Buck, living in a unique world of dinosaurs, at the center of the plot of the new series.
Director John Donkin, who was making his debut, faced several big tasks at once: “The Adventures of Buck Wild” was supposed not only to pull at the strings of nostalgia for adults who watched the first part in their distant childhood, but also to present the story of the past of one of the most memorable characters in a worthy way. However, during production, something went wrong, and an idea that looked curious on paper turned into a passable cartoon that has almost nothing to do with the original.
Frame from the animated film “Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild”
A Departure from the Original
“The Adventures of Buck Wild” completely changed the central theme of the past parts, taking as a basis a banal plot about the mistakes of the past that haunt the main characters. The family saga has turned into an adventure that is unlikely to interest a viewer older than 12 years. Each element seems to be taken from the cartoons of the past decade: it turns out that the weasel used to be in the local analogue of the “Avengers”, which fell apart through his fault. This plot move will not only simplify the dramaturgical structure of the entire project, but will also sag even against the background of the fifth part, which, although it was a failure, could still offer an interesting look at the development of a young couple’s relationship.
Weak Storytelling
The weak dramaturgy of the new “Ice Age” is the fault of the screenwriters, who decided to make a pair of opossums, who used to be responsible only for the humorous part, the central characters. The situations in which the characters find themselves throughout the film not only do not change the characters in any way, but also do not give any development even within the product itself. The brothers will commit rash acts, and then suffer from their consequences. Scene after scene, the monotony of what is happening not only wastes time on revealing the fates of the members of the family familiar to us, but also spoils the final part of the entire film.
Uninspired Characters
The weak side of “The Adventures of Buck Wild” is the new characters themselves, who are much inferior to the “oldies”. Buck’s girlfriend Zee, who hides her real name, will turn into an independent personality only towards the end of the picture. And from the antagonist of the film - the dinosaur Orson, who has great intelligence - the heroes never feel a serious danger, which deprives all the fights of dynamics. And the very motivation - to seize the kingdom and take revenge on Buck - seems to be taken from the past decade again: Orson turns into an object for jokes.
Frame from the animated film “Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild”
Missing the Mark
The new “Ice Age” also lacks the themes that could once again interest a loyal audience, so it was not possible to evoke a nostalgic smile either. Any reference to past adventures in the context of the cartoon itself looks artificial: the creators deliberately try to focus on the details of the world underground, repeating most of the scenes from “Era of Dinosaurs”, which looks unreasonable. It is also clear that the sixth part was created in a hurry, which caused problems with the technical side of the project: the living world, full of diverse creatures, turned into a static location.
The Absence of a Key Figure
However, the main disadvantage of “The Adventures of Buck Wild” is the absence of one of the main symbols of the entire franchise - the squirrel Scrat, who is constantly hunting for his acorn. Without it, the sequel turned out to be incomplete: it is unlikely that anyone will want to review the film. It’s funny that the viewer himself becomes Scrat, who so wanted to get a solo project about Buck, and ended up empty-handed.