The Melancholic Adventures of Buck Wild... - Renegade Animation #49

Tonight, on a WILD episode of Renegade Animation, the Animation Guru and Captain Kaye review the hottest, most anticipated animated of 2022... that's right, THE ICE AGE ADVENTURES OF BUCK WILD!

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Bundle up, fellow Renegades, because I’m THE DIRECTOR, and today, while we’ve got a mini-episode of Renegade Animation coming your way, it’s one that will be sure to leave you frozen stiff. One of the defining animated franchises from the 2000’s has returned, but not in a way that I’m sure will warm your heart.

Unlike most animated films of the era that got sequels, Ice Age always seemed like an underdog that managed to stay respected enough to release into theaters… even as the quality of the films started to dip more and more. But here we are now, at the 6th film in the franchise, and it seems to now have the same quality that one could expect from such classic animated films as Open Season 2, and Happily N’Ever After 2.

I grew up with the Ice Age series, and while I never had a strong attachment for it, it pains me to see this franchise kind of fade away into obscurity, especially after the Blue Sky buyout from Disney. But as much as I lament the state of the franchise, I can’t even do justice to what the Animation Amigos have to say about it. So I won’t waste any time, and I’ll kick it over to the Captain himself. TAKE IT AWAY!

THE ICE AGE ADVENTURES OF BUCK WILD (2022)

“When this project was first announced, I'm sure we all assumed this was going to be a TV series. Maybe that was the plan early in development, and I honestly would have been on board with that. However, what we have here feels very reminiscent of the Eisner era at Disney, which saw the release of a bevy of direct to video sequels to their popular animated films. The most notorious of these were the ones that were failed TV pilots, and this movie reeks of those same beats. The one positive this film has going for it is the voice cast, particularly Simon Pegg reprising his role as the titular hero of the Lost World. Utkarsh Ambudkar can be pretty amusing as Orson, the big brained Protoceratops who's the main antagonist. Aside from that, and maybe a few chuckle worthy lines of dialogue, this ‘movie’ feels like an afterthought. I mean no disrespect to the people at Bardel Entertainment, but budget-slashed CG animation looks awful, especially compared to the work that Blue Sky has put into their filmography. Say what you will about the Ice Age sequels from a story perspective, at least visually they were a feast for the eyes. The Adventures of Buck Wild lacks the speed, the timing, and the overall charm of what came before. If I didn't have a platform devoted to covering the world of animation, I would not have gone out of my way to see this.” - Captain Kaye

That’ll do it for this episode of Renegade Animation! Special thanks to Cameron for mining this audio in the editing desert. Keep on the prowl for more podcasts that have yet to be unearthed very… very soon!