When Simon Pegg found out that his Ice Age character Buck Wild was set to star in his own spin-off, the Star Trek actor was delighted — not least because he's been angling for Buck to take center stage for a long time!
The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild reveals what happens when trouble-magnet possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to prove they can look after themselves, only to stumble into the dinosaur territory of the Lost World.
Dinosaur hunting weasel Buck Wild steps in to rescue them from dino danger, but things don't stay quiet for long — and soon the trio, along with Buck's former adventuring partner Zee the zorilla (voiced by One Day At A Time and Muppets: Haunted Mansion star Justina Machado) find themselves trying to stop a megalomaniac protoceratops named Orson from seizing control of the Lost World.
Here Simon reveals why he loves voicing Buck Wild — and how Ice Age has become a family affair for him...
Simon Pegg on hearing that a Buck Wild movie was in the works...
"I've been dropping hints about this for 12 years! Every time we do a film, I'm like, 'Buck should probably have a thing, maybe?'. The great thing about this is that Ice Age has so many fabulous characters, and this is the era of the 'cinematic universe' — I don't think there is another animation that is more suited to expansion than this.
"There are so many wonderful characters, and in a movie you can only spend so much time with each one, so this is a lovely way to give over some time not only to Buck and Crash and Eddie, but also Zee and Orson and these new characters which are welcome additions to this fabulous group."
What was it like preparing to voice Buck again?
"Buck's very much in my muscle memory now because I've played him a few times. I just have to get a lot of sleep before sessions, because they're always extremely energetic, and Buck is just full-on all the time — it's exhausting!
"When you do a voiceover session, you put everything into your voice, whereas if you were doing a live-action performance you have your gesticulations and expressions to lean on."
How did you find the experience of recording your voice sessions during the pandemic?
"I ended up doing a lot of the sessions at my house! The engineers would come and set up a studio in this room, and I would shuffle in — I didn't wear pants for some of the sessions, I was wearing my slippers all the time! Honestly, it was one of my favourite jobs ever, because I didn't have to leave the house."
What does playing Buck mean to you?
"I love Buck, I have a strong affection for him — not least because he was born the same year my daughter was born, so she's grown up with those movies and with him. Weirdly, as this new Ice Age installment comes out, my sister just gave birth, so there's a new Ice Age baby to take the stories forward!"
What would you like viewers to take away from watching the film?
"A really sweet sort of sub-theme in the film is about the capacity to ask for help. Buck is such a loner, he's so used to doing everything by himself that the idea of relying on his friends or trusting someone to do something else is a little bit uncomfortable for him.
"In this movie he learns that it's not only okay to ask for help, it's okay to ask for help as a guy from your female friends, and to trust in them to take over. Buck goes on a real journey for that — I think a lot of guys growing up are taught not to ask for help because it's seen as unmanly, which is terribly damaging, and I think for the film to address that is important. Buck learns that it's okay to lean on people, it's okay to ask for help, and to trust the people around you - your herd!"
- The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild launches on Disney Plus on Friday March 25
