by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
With the Ice Age franchise under the Disney umbrella, what kind of content will audiences be getting? Disney is obviously not shy when it comes to building up franchises, and when they know they have one to make money, they will make it. There are plenty of films in this animated franchise, but Disney+ is servicing up a brand new adventure for the whole family. With so many characters to play around with, this new film is taking a (seemingly) new approach to the franchise and exploring other characters. Welcome The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.
What does the Ice Age franchise look (and sound) like coming from Disney? There is one particularly sad reality that settles in when the film begins. Where is Ray Romano? Where is Denis Leary? Where is John Leguizamo? Or Queen Latifah? The only returning voice actor in the entire film is Simon Pegg as the titular Buck Wild. The replacement actors do… fine. They either sound like solid yet unremarkable performers or cheap knockoff impressions of the original cast. The animation quality of the film is also many levels below that of the original franchise. This film looks like it could be in league with Jimmy Neutron (but that came out 20 years ago). This film feels like it is just a cheap cash grab from Disney who knows people like the franchise and will hop on Disney+ to check it out.
Now that the bar has been dropped quite low, what does the story offer up? From the title of the film, you would expect this to probably be a full-blown spinoff about Buck Wild. But that is far from the truth. This does feel like just another addition in the Ice Age franchise. The whole gang is back at it again, except the focus is on the possums: Eddie and Crash. The story feels a bit tired, as it rehashes one of the other films (Dawn of the Dinosaurs), and we revisit the dinosaur-filled underworld. There is a new antagonist, who is fine, but not particularly interesting or fresh. You have all the original characters back, but they feel like shadows of their former selves. The biggest issue with this outing is the main characters we follow. Eddie and Crash are SO dumb and incredibly annoying. This is one of the challenges of putting side characters as leads — they might not work when the focus is on them.
But is this film even worth your time at all? If you are looking for something silly and inoffensive for the whole family, this could work (especially because of its easy access on Disney+). There is plenty of action along the way with colorful and crazy creatures. The kids in the audience will have fun with the silly and dumb humor along the way. Unfortunately, there is not much to appreciate for the adults in the room. From someone who may have been enjoying the franchise since the start, this latest entry from Disney may leave a REAL sour taste in your mouth.
Grade: D
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