The multi-billion dollar Ice Age franchise has been away from the spotlight for a few years, but is gearing up for its return to the screen with a Disney+ spinoff centered around one of its wildest characters. The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild sees the one-eyed Weasel join forces with Crash and Eddie for a brand new adventure in the lost world, shifting the focus away from the main herd for the first time in the franchise. Fans have always loved Buck, but maybe not quite as much as the man who plays him.
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Shaun of the Dead and Star Trek star Simon Pegg voiced Buck in both Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Ice Age: Collision Course, and now he’s reprising the role for the third time in Adventures of Buck Wild. Ahead of the film’s Disney+ premiere on January 28th, ComicBook.com caught up with Pegg to talk about Buck’s triumphant Ice Age return.
“I just love every opportunity I get to play him,” Pegg told us. “I did Dawn of the Dinosaurs and it was such a great experience. I loved the movie. And then Continental Drift came out and the herd had moved on, and I thought, ‘Okay, Buck’s stayed in the lost world.’ So that was my time. And then Collision Course came out and Buck came topside, which was great. And then I heard about this, which was a real treat because any chance I get to play this character is an opportunity for me.”
Not every animated character is created equal, and Buck brings more energy to the screen than most. Pegg went on to explain how tiresome Buck can be in the recording studio.
“He’s definitely very, very high energy and I have to really, really gear myself up for the sessions because they’re exhausting,” the actor continued. “We do all of the dialogue first and then end with all of the noises that he has to make or any yelling that I have to do. He’s definitely a character that requires all of my energy, and I have to put everything into the voice because that’s all that’s coming across of me. Then the animators have that to work with to create al the physicality and they video the voice session for my facial expressions. But the only tool I have in that environment is my voice, so I have to just channel every iota of energy I have into my voice.”
You can watch the full video interview with Simon Pegg in the video at the top of the page.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild is set to debut on Disney+ on January 28th.
