How To Draw Buck From Ice Age 3

Hey, guys. Austin here with my next journal entry. In case you guys are wondering, this is the next edition of a miniseries I like to call What's With <name of character>?, where I look at some of my favorite characters from movie and TV franchises I'm fond of, looking into things like background info, personality and appearance, character traits, important possessions, notable roles, and then offering my thoughts on them. Enjoy.

And no, I didn't give this up; I just had a lot of things I needed to get done last spring and early this summer.

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"Rule number one: Always listen to Buck." - Buck

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire soundtrack - "Safari Zone" (optional)Introduction: Buckminster "Buck" from the Ice Age Franchise

Today, I'll be covering one of my favorite characters from the Ice Age franchise -- the long lost, dino-whispering weasel and the crazy yet knowledgeable explorer -- Buck.

Buck: "Short for Buckminster. Long for 'Buh'." (Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs)

The Ice Age franchise has introduced a wide array of new characters (permanent and temporary) over the course of five films -- ranging from ones like a gigantopithecus leading a life of piracy to others like a geriatric sloth with a host of bitter-spirited lines to spare. However, of all the new additions to the overall cast (some of which I really like) I find Buck to be the most interesting one.

His nutsy personality makes him a joy to watch regardless of the performance, yet his vast knowledge of fictional mesozoic & pleistocene perils, and unpredictable actions make him a surprisingly reliable individual for the main cast, and he may even have a bit of an uneasy side to him as shown in a few scenes. All-in-all, it makes Buck stand out over some other Ice Age characters.

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Basic Overview and Background

For those who don't know, Buck (played by Simon Pegg) is a prehistoric weasel and a major secondary character in his franchise. He was introduced in Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and also appeared as a major character in Ice Age V: Collision Course. He has been all alone from other pleistocene animals and it's made him lose his marbles; regardless, he also knows his stuff and can be quite resourceful and is able to act in cases where others would be lost.

As for his background, Buck used to live in the pleistocene world above the ice. At some point, however, he ended up getting lost in the mesozoic world underneath the ice and was left there for quite some time. Exactly how he wound up down there is a mystery -- even in the third film. However, the effects of it are quite clear -- shown in his crazy demeanor. In his first few days down there, he was shown to have lost one of his eyes to a large baryonyx which ultimately triggered a one-sided relationship with a theropod -- something I'll explain further later.

As for his inspiration, Buck was originally going to be an opossum and long lost "cousin" of Ellie. There were also attempts to make him a badger, but the producers ultimately made him a weasel due to his unpredictable nature, which makes for an interesting playout as seen upon his debut and succeeding appearances.

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Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon soundtrack - "Verdant Cavern/Lush Jungle" (optional)

Personality and Appearance

Now for his appearance and personality. One can compare Buck's personality to that of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise given their similar appearances and sword fighting-styles. He also seems to draw inspiration from both the film character Crocodile Dundee and Frank Buck, an adventurer and actor in the 1930s and 1940s.

Buck appears[1] by AustinSPTD1996

In the films, Buck is adventurous, cunning and brave. Being based on a weasel, it'd be easy to assume a small-sized mammal would be a prime target for large dinosaurs, yet the latter ones are often in over their heads given the mammal's quick wits, surprising experience and bold actions. They help to show that Buck is a figure who is unpredictable yet knowledgeable in his ways, and is (usually) willing to take on the most threatening of foes. This is also reflected in his design given the short limbs and tubular body to reflect his small weasel stature, but other elements like the eyepatch, shorter scalp fur and some sort of tool (mostly a machete) to reflect the amount of time he's spent under the ice, along with his experience and rugged boldness.

While having been in the dinosaur world for much of his life, Buck has also become a loose screw in several ways. With a lack of Pleistocene companions to interact with, he's turned to many inanimate objects for company; he'll take in plants as part of his family, he'll get into arguments with the bones of deceased dinos, he'll even speak to rocks as if he were using a cellphone!

While it may cause confusion amongst the other herd members, it fits well into his wacky personality and can make for some of the most amusing jokes in his franchise -- such as when he was making voices for three dino skulls in the third film, only to end up fighting his own foot out of it.

Buck looks like ferret[1] by AustinSPTD1996

Carnivorous Plant[1] by AustinSPTD1996

In spite of the craziness, however, Buck does have a vast knowledge of various threats and how to counter them -- ranging from biotic threats like large dinosaurs and foliage to abiotic ones like toxic fumes and asteroids. While he is sometimes taken for granted on this, there are many instances where it comes in handy and even saves some of the other members.

One prime example is within the third film when Manny and Diego get trapped by a large carnivorous plant (An idea that was originally going to be for Scrat in the second film!) when searching for food. Ellie and the possums attempt to help, but their efforts failed or would've made things worse; the only way they got saved was with Buck going in and slicing a capillary to make it regurgitate.

This scene well-displayed Buck's expertise in the world of dinosaurs and that he can be a strong and serious individual -- especially given how Diego and Manny are normally very strong characters, yet were rendered helpless by a carnivorous plant.

Buck herd[1] by AustinSPTD1996

That said, there are also a few instances in the third and fifth films where he's legitimately shown being fearful in certain scenarios -- such as when trying to fight Rudy in the climax of the third film or trying to steer the herd off of the Dromeosaur family's trail.

Moments like these seem to suggest that while Buck is cuckoo and bold, he may also have some sense of getting himself over his head in danger, and that he also has a grasp on rationality towards perilous risks. It makes his boldness more realistic in the sense that some people may feel anxious about doing risky actions -- even if they know it'll help, and it reflects his connections to the herd.

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Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon soundtrack: "Battle! Gladion" (optional)

Some Additional Character Traits, Possessions and (other) Notable Roles

Being a survivor in the tropics underneath the ice, Buck has acquired many tools of the trade along with years of experience on the dinosaur-related dangers. His most prized possession by far is a machete, made from a tooth he punched out of Rudy's jaws, claiming it for himself after Rudy took out one of his eyes and nearly swallowed him. He's been shown to use it like a blade for different tasks, and having it even come in handy for when Diego and Manny got trapped by a carnivorous plant.

Speaking of that, it's also caused Buck to develop a one-sided obsession for Rudy, an albino Baryonyx seen in the climax of the third film. This relationship of his is very similar to Captain Ahab's obsession over the white whale in Moby Dick -- even down to the beast sought after being white in color! It's really a one-sided relationship since Rudy just wants to eat Buck, but the mammal slightly cares for the theropod -- giving him nicknames like "Snowflake", wishing him goodnight, and being upset when he thought he was killed by Mama T-rex.

That's not the only relationship he has with theropods, however; in the fifth film, he was shown to have also had an ongoing feud with a family of Dromeosaurs bent on kidnapping and killing the weasel. This one isn't as detailed as Buck's relationship with Rudy, but it's more double-sided regarding the interactions within it. Unlike his dynamic with Rudy, this one also got more resolution when Buck was able to persuade them help in stopping the asteroid, leaving them on good terms.

Either way, both of these relationships with dinosaurs add to Buck's wacky antics and expertise on the world under the ice.

Buck appears[1] by AustinSPTD1996

Now for roles in the movies. Buck only has major roles in the third and fifth movies, so those are the two we'll focus on. Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is where Buck makes his debut. At first, he comes off as a crazy yet experienced survivor of the lost world. While he's written off early as the herd searched for Sid, he immediately proved his point after saving Manny & Diego.

Later on, he led the big rescue mission for the herd when Ellie began to deliver Peaches. While Manny and Diego stayed back to fight off multiple Guanlongs and aid the former's mate, Buck, Crash and Eddie went for Sid at Lava Falls while having to fight off a flock of Quetzalcoatluses.

After the ground sloth was saved and mammoth calf was born, the herd gained a strong sense of appreciation for Buck's take-charge attitude and plan of action to save the whole herd. Meanwhile, Buck regained a sense of belonging to a family after seeing the herd together again, and even took up their offtem to join them before Rudy was proven to still be alive. At the end, Buck became a de facto member of the herd when a small ice Buck was added to Peaches' mobile.

Ice Age Herd with a Plan[1] by AustinSPTD1996

Gavin Gertie and Roger flying[1] by AustinSPTD1996

Buck's second major role was in Ice Age V: Collision Course, set years after the third film. After reading about the incoming asteroid on a stone tabet, Buck returned to the Pleistocene and reunited with the herd. He warned them about the impending doom and devised a plan to stop it, which they chose to follow.

While he's shown to be a bit more fearful at first -- mostly due to the Dromeosaur family pursuing him -- he still manages to maintain a take-charge attitude and guide the herd along with the asteroid stopping efforts. At the climax, the trio of Dromeosaurs capture and nearly kill him in place until the most oppressed of the three theropods stands up for him, and the twosome are able to persuade the other dinos to aid in the effort.

In the end, the asteroid was redirected from the planet and Buck once again earned gratification from the herd, as well as getting on good terms with the theropods he was feuding with, later attending the wedding together.

In both of his appearances, Buck provides laughs and wacky moments, shows off his experience to help the herd and even gains a thing or two from interacting with them.

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Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Game soundtrack: "Buck to the Rescue I" (optional)

My Thoughts on Buckminster

Buckminster is among my top three characters from the Ice Age franchise, as well as my favorite member of the cast to have not been introduced within the first film. His portrayal as a nutsy, long-lost weasel from the dinosaur world makes him an interesting character to look into, and his unpredictable antics and relationships with various dinosaurs places him on a level of his own while making him fit with the other wacky antics in his franchise, in addition to making for many great laughs.

Amidst the crazy antics he gets into, Buck also has a vast knowledge of the world below its ice and its creatures, which plays out well in helping the other herd members while adding to his unpredictable ways in the movies. His interactions with the herd are also pretty fun to watch, and they help to unlock a long-lost sense of family and friendship in the mammal, making some of his actions more relatable and/or endearing.

For me, Buck represents the crazy yet knowledgeable individuals in many people's lives who mean well, and shows that sometimes the crazy people in the group have the best information and skills to offer to a situation. Whether it's fighting an albino Baryonyx or looking out for the herd, Buck is a character I look forward to seeing.

*************** And that does it with today's What's With *insert character's name*? What do you guys think about the character I covered? Feel free topolitelyexpress your opinions in the comments down below. Tune in next time as I proceed to cover a diligent law student with a troubled past and an endearing development arc. Thanks for stopping by. See you around.

The Ice Age Franchise belongs to Blue Sky Studios.